


SNK: The Other Stories

by mongoose_bite



Series: Crunchy's fic [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-26 12:26:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 153
Words: 104,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16681606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mongoose_bite/pseuds/mongoose_bite
Summary: SNK fics originally posted on tumblr. Pairings and AUs listed in chapter titles. Explicit stories will also be marked.





	1. Levi/Eren Fantasy AU: Demons' Day

_So it came to pass that the mortals refused to accept that the universe itself was mortal, and they made a pact with the demons to rage, rage against the dying of the light._

Demons’ Day. Levi is fourteen.

He stands with the other cadets and watches them fall from the sky like meteors, whooping and laughing and shedding sparks like Catherine Wheels. He is young, and isn’t surprised when none smile at him.

Demons’ Day. Levi is sixteen.

He lands in front of her, one knee already bent and a smile on his face. She calls him Farlan, and Levi likes him. He watches Isabel go over the wall with the demon, and each time they return, Levi is waiting for them.

Demons’ Day. Levi is nineteen.

They arrive like a burning chandelier, mad and bright with horns as wide as their shoulders. Erwin says their name is Hange, but does not seem to know if they are male or female. Levi supposes it’s not relevant.

Demons’ Day. Levi is twenty.

Isabel and Farlan went over the wall two months ago, and haven’t returned. They are presumed dead. Levi waits, stony-faced among wide-eyed teenagers. Aching to go over the wall. He waits in vain.

Demons’ Day. Levi is twenty-two.

His weapons fire mere plasma, and his wings must feed each day on the light that falls from fat and dying stars, but he has been over the wall. Still, he waits, for he is weak and slow alone.

Demons’ Day. Levi is twenty-five.

Erwin makes him go and wait. He is small and fragile, but he is not slow and not weak and his lips curl with curses as he watches the demons fall. He leaves alone. He goes over the wall again tomorrow.

Demons’ Day. Levi is thirty.

He goes to watch now, not the demons, not the falling sparks, but the cadets, the young ones. They are proof that the universe still lives, that there is yet something worth fighting for. He watches them and gives advice, and they stare at his weapons and armour in awe. They’ve heard the stories. The mortal who fights alone. They ask him what became of his demon. He says he does not need one, has never needed one.

Demons’ Day. Levi is thirty-four.

He leans against a wall and watches like always and then he turns to go. He hears shouting, but not his name and he ignores it, tired from a day’s fight. He ignores it until he hears “Hey you! The short one!” and then he stops and turns.

The demon is as young as he once was, with luminous yellow eyes and he has several short, curved horns on his head, like a crown. And Levi knows him, knows his name is Eren and that they belong to each other and he snarls and seizes the creature, still hot and shedding sparks. He seizes him with a strength of born of rage and years of struggle, wraps gauntleted hands around his neck and lifts him off his feet.

“Where have you been?” Levi shakes him. “I failed to save so many because I was here waiting for you. And you turn up _now_?” He drops the demon. “I don’t need you. I have my own wings. Find another mortal.” Even though he knows that is impossible.

He glances back into eyes bright and hot with anger and surprise and pain as Eren stumbles back and falls to his knees. “You’re supposed to love me!”

Levi hated him.


	2. Levi/Eren Android AU: Unwired

The machines made a great many jobs redundant in the end, but once the Network started showing strange, slow signs of sentience there were new opportunities for humans to tend and refine this symbiotic partnership between humanity and its robots.

The robots themselves could take care of most mechanical issues, but the subtler, stranger problems that started to arise required true intelligence to unravel. Levi quite liked his job; machines were cleaner than people, and he was good at getting them to remember their purposes, and reconnect with the Network. It didn’t always work, and he often ended up adopting his failures rather than consigning them to the recycling. His workshop was crowded with apathetic cleaning devices and malfunctioning catbots (the dogs seemed to have far fewer problems.)

Today, an apartment building was having power draw problems. It wasn’t any of the tenants’ devices, and so Levi arrived soon after nine to talk to the automated building management system. It seemed quite sane; it was fairly new and gave him sensible and prompt responses to the queries he entered into its console. But it couldn’t add up. In fact, no matter what Levi did, he couldn’t make it see that there was a huge amount of extra power being routed from the mains and directed somewhere in the sub-basement. After going round in circles for twenty minutes, Levi decided to take a look himself.

He poked around the air-conditioning and the water systems and the fire systems and the security systems and everything appeared to be as it should. Where was the extra power going? Eventually he got a torch and started following the power cables manually.

And that was how he found the wall. He didn’t think it was built to building standard, and indeed when he put his shoulder to it he could feel it start to give. Intrigued now, he went back to his van and returned with some proper tools.

The wall came down.

He wasn’t prepared for what was behind it.

It was an android. It floated peacefully in its tank, short brown hair waving gently in the fluid. It had none of the hyper-realism of most companion bots, but nevertheless Levi thought its design was quite beautiful. It was like nothing he’d ever encountered before. He immediately started looking for a console, or a maker’s mark, or something that might explain what exactly this robot was or why it was here. He crouched down to look at the base of the tank and started involuntarily when he glanced up.

The android had opened bright gold eyes and had crouched down and rested its face against the glass to look at him.

“Fuck!” He hadn’t expected that.

The android recoiled slightly as well, and then drifted closer again and offered him a smile, pressing a hand to the glass.

“Can you hear me?” Levi asked. It didn’t respond. Levi ran his fingers through his hair; there didn’t seem to be any way of getting the robot out, and it wasn’t really his to tamper with anyway. Although just whose it was could be anyone’s guess. It didn’t seem to have so much as a serial number, let alone a brand.

“I guess that solves the mystery,” Levi said. He’d report it and let the building’s owners deal with it. He collected his tools and started to leave. He stopped when he heard a thumping sound. When he turned around he saw the android staring at him beseechingly and pounding its fists against the wall of the tank.

Levi paused.

The robot stared at him, pressing its forehead to the glass.

“You want out, huh?” Levi touched the side of the tank, and the android raised its hand to mirror his own. It was the sort of thing that was designed for an emotional response, and it was hard to do naturally, even with the vast, diffuse bulk of the Network’s mind feeding into it. Levi was intrigued.

“Well, it would solve their power issue,” he murmured.

He fetched his heaviest wrench and the android _beamed_ and shrank towards the opposite side of the tank. Levi braced himself and swung.

It cracked the first try, and shattered the second, and he did his best to avoid the wave of high-grade machine oil that washed out around his boots and spread across the floor. At least he wouldn’t have to clean it up. The android sagged on its cables, no longer buoyed by the liquid.

“Thank you very much.” Its voice was pleasant enough, and definitely sounded male.

“You’re not out yet,” Levi told him. He crawled into the tank, and started examining the cables still attaching the android to the tank. He could feel heat radiating from the android’s body as he obediently bowed his head and let Levi examine him. “How long have you been in here?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It felt like a long time.”

Levi paused and frowned. Even the simplest robot had an internal clock, and even if it didn’t the Network would supply the time.

“It _felt_ like a long time?”

“Mhm. It felt like forever. I’m very happy someone found me. I thought I’d never get out. I’ve always dreamed of seeing what was outside my tank.”

Levi wondered if this was some sort of pre-written dialogue intended for just this eventuality.

“Who are you?” Levi asked.

“I’m EREN.”

Levi waited, for a serial number, a purpose, and explanation, but EREN just smiled at him. Levi shook his head and turned his attention to the cables.

“I don’t think these are designed to come off,” Levi said. “I’d have to take you to pieces.” His hands and arms were slippery from the machine oil, EREN was still dripping with. It didn’t look like he was ever intended to leave the tank.

EREN shrank back at his words. “Please don’t!”

“I’m not going to. It’s disgusting down here.” He could feel the odd drip of oil landing in his hair. “You’ll have to stay-”

“I don’t want to stay!” Levi’s eyes widened as EREN grabbed his hands. “Please get me out of here. Please. I’ll do anything.”

“What do you do?” Levi asked, fighting the urge to yank his hands away. Robots didn’t touch humans casually. It wasn’t programmed in, but on the other hand, EREN’s programming was anything but normal.

“I don’t know.”

“What is your purpose?”

“I don’t know. Obviously it’s not to answer questions.” He offered Levi a strange smile.

“That was a joke,” Levi breathed, staring into EREN’s eyes.

“Can we pretend it wasn’t?” EREN asked. “You didn’t laugh.”

Levi rocked back on his heels, the oil forgotten.

“You’re a true AI. Or something fucking close to it.” He squeezed EREN’s hands. “I’ll cut you loose.” There was no way he was going to let something like this out of his sight.

EREN waited patiently while Levi got out his cable-cutters and started snipping him free. “I’ll probably have to hook you up again later,” he said.

“Okay.”

Levi helped him out of the tank, and EREN stood on his own two feet, looking about in amazement.

“I’ve never seen the room from this angle before.”

“Come on,” Levi said. “We’re filthy.” He reported a job complete, and herded EREN into his van and gave him a cloth to clean himself up, although it was a bit of a hopeless cause. EREN sat in the van and stared out the window with a look of wonder. Occasionally he’d glance at Levi and smile.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“Levi,” Levi said.

“Thank you for setting me free. It’s so amazing out here. I’m so happy. I think I’m happy. I feel strange.”

Levi frowned. “You’re not designed to be disconnected from that tank. I had to cut a lot of wires. Don’t worry, I’ll take you back to my workshop.”

“Sounds nice,” EREN said dreamily, resting his head against the window.

Levi parked behind his workshop, and got out. “Come on, EREN, we’re here.”

No response. Levi opened the passenger door himself and EREN would have fallen out if he hadn’t caught him. He was lighter than he looked; must be plastic rather than metal.

“EREN?”

His gold eyes were blank. Levi swore and heaved the robot up over his shoulder.

“Get out of my way,” he muttered, as several catbots trotted out mewling (and in one case playing classical music) to greet him.

He laid EREN out on his workbench, feeling rather like a child who attempts to catch a butterfly and accidentally crushes it.

“Hang in there, I’ll wire you up.”

It was easier said than done. He stopped only to eat, but eventually, as dawn was breaking he had to admit defeat for now and get some rest. He wanted to try and keep EREN intact as best he could, because he simply didn’t know how he worked, and reverse-engineering him was probably beyond him.

EREN remained there for a long time. Some of the catbots took to sleeping on him; he was still warm. Levi bid him good morning and goodnight, for ceasing to do so would be to admit failure. He covered him with a blanket.

He fell asleep working on him more than once. He knew he was obsessed, but he didn’t care. The piles of books around his workbench grew.

He could hear classical music.

Levi lifted his head, blinking blearily to see that, once again, sunlight was filtering in the windows. EREN’s blanket was draped over his shoulders. He blinked himself awake.

“EREN?”

“Hello.” EREN was standing in the centre of the room, trailing his mess of wires, the singing catbot in his arms. “I wasn’t sleeping, was I?”

“No.” Levi rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know.” He turned and reached for one of the wires.

“Don’t pull that!”

He snatched his hand back and put the catbot down on the floor before approaching Levi.

“I was broken, wasn’t I?”

“It was my fault.”

“You fixed me.”

“I don’t really know how.”

“So I need to keep these wires in?” he asked.

“For now, yeah. I’m sorry.”

EREN shook his head and smiled. “That means I get to stay here, right? With you.”

“You’ll get sick of me.”

“Was that a joke?”

“You didn’t laugh.”

“You’re kind of confusing, Levi.” Eren stood in front of him.

“I’ll set you free properly next time,” Levi said.

“In the meantime,” EREN said. “I want to work out what I can do.” One of the catbots wandered over and rubbed its head on Levi’s shin. “Oh, I can do that-”

“Ow!” Levi recoiled as EREN practically head-butted him. He grabbed EREN’s head in both hands and looked him in the eye. “Gently, EREN.” Eren closed his eyes and carefully nuzzled the side of Levi’s face.

“Like that?” he asked.

It took Levi a few moments to find his voice. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s a start.”


	3. Levi/Eren Catperson AU: All Cats Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Eren was small, he discovered a miserable-looking kitten by the side of the road and took care of him for a while. The story behind the kitten and his owner was a sad one, and he’s heartbroken when both eventually disappear. All of which is totally unrelated to the fact that, years later, his mysterious new neighbour has started playing weird music on the roof of their apartment block every night.

The kitten wasn’t crying or mewling, or anything like that, and that was probably why no one had noticed the little grey bundle crouched in the gutter by the road home from Eren’s school. No one other than Eren himself who, with the indolence of a schoolboy who knows homework is waiting for him, was taking his time in going home and taking every opportunity to be distracted.

The kitten, who had matted fur and appeared to be glaring at nothing in particular, paid little attention when Eren crouched down beside it.

“Hey kitty,” he said. Most of the neighbourhood cats were friendly, but he hadn’t seen this one before. “Are you lost, kitty?” The kitten looked up at him with such a disdainful expression that Eren laughed in delight. It looked so mad.

“Poor kitty,” he said holding out his hand for it to sniff. It didn’t. It did look kind of sad, sitting there, and he wondered why its fur was so messy. “I’ll take you home and fix you up,” he said, with the cheerful assurance of a ten-year-old boy for whom happy endings were guaranteed in every story.

The kitten struggled only for a moment when Eren picked it up, carefully holding it around the middle. Then it resigned itself to its fate, and Eren carried it back as gently as he could. It felt thin and bony, and Eren promised it all kinds of treats.

He didn’t know if he’d be allowed to keep it. They already had a dog, after all.

“Mike! No! Sit! Sit!” Mike was a big golden retriever who’d grown up alongside Eren and didn’t take him terribly seriously most of the time. And he was very interested in the kitten. Eren tried to fend him off. “No. Sit, Mike, sit!” The kitten hissed, making the first noise Eren had heard from it. This was getting out of hand. There was only one thing to do.

“ _Mo-om_!”

“It was just sitting on the side of the road?”

“Yeah!”

Carla had managed to dislodge Mike, and they’d brought the kitten into the bathroom. It looked like it had been doused in cooking oil, and so Carla had said they needed to give him (definitely a him, she said) a bath.

The kitten was surprisingly well behaved as he endured the soap and water. Eren tried to help, although Carla did most of the work.

“Can we keep him?” Eren asked.

Carla gave him a sympathetic look, “He might belong to someone else, Eren. And besides, we have Mike.” She towelled the kitten off. “There we go, all clean.”

He mewed, just quietly.

“You’re welcome.” Carla rubbed him behind one ear. “Lets get him something to eat, and we can see if someone’s looking for him tomorrow.”

Eren was a bit worried that the kitten wouldn’t like dog food, that being all they had, but he stuck his nose into it and gulped it down. He must have been really hungry, Eren thought, stroking him as he ate. Mike wasn’t allowed in the kitchen and he stared from the doorway at them. Eren thought the kitten looked rather self-satisfied.

“Mom won’t let me give you a name just yet,” Eren said. “So don’t let her know. I’m gonna call you. Um. Greyie.”

The look that the kitten gave him could have curdled milk. Eren thought he was very funny.

Eren carried the kitten around all evening, and ‘Greyie’ seemed happy to sit quietly on the table while Eren did his homework, curled up in a ball. Eren didn’t notice that Mike had padded in until his big, wet nose appeared over the edge of the table.

“Mike, go outside,” he ordered.

Mike ignored him and sniffed at the kitten, his great nose snuffling against his fur. Greyie moved like lightning and struck out at the offending piece of dog. Mike yelped and fled from the room his tail between his legs.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Eren said.

The kitten gave him a look that clearly indicated he couldn’t care less. Mike kept his distance after that, having learned the small fluffy thing was sharp.

With Mike now cowed, Greyie took to wandering about. During dinner he sat on Eren’s lap and Eren snuck him bits of food off his plate. Carla wasn’t fooled.

When Eren’s father came home that evening he explained where the kitten had come from.

“If we can’t find his owner, can we keep him?” he asked.

Grisha frowned, “Lets not get ahead of ourselves.”

Eren was getting way, way ahead of himself. He loved his kitten. Carla made him set up a cardboard box with a blanket for Greyie to sleep in, but once the light was out he snuck out of bed, picked up the kitten and put him on his own blankets. Greyie stood on his chest, looking down at him gravely while Eren carefully stroked his sides.

“I love you,” Eren told him. “I’ll take care of you.”

The next morning Eren awoke to find Greyie curled up near his feet in a patch of sunlight on the end of his bed. Rather reluctantly he went to school, and hurried home at the end of the day.

Greyie was gone.

“Of course I didn’t let him out,” Carla said, as Eren’s eyes filled with tears after a fruitless search of the house and yard. “But he could easily have slipped out, or climbed out a window. Oh sweetie, he’s probably gone home. I called the pound but no one’s reported him missing. Cats wander; it’s in their nature. I’m sure he’s fine.”

“What if he’s a stray?” Eren asked.

Carla smiled a little wryly, “Then he’ll probably be back when he gets hungry.”

Eren sniffled and went and hugged Mike, who drooled on his shoulder.

For the next to days, every shadow seemed to hold a tiny grey shape.

Eren was trudging home from school, Friday at last but he didn’t feel like celebrating, when someone stepped into his path.

A boy. It was hard to know his age; he wasn’t any taller than Eren, but something about the look in his eye made him seem older, meaner. Eren wondered if he was going to get robbed and he flinched back from his scowl. The other kid was wearing faded, ill-fitting clothes and a weird knitted hat pulled down low over his ears.

“Hey, you’re the kid who looked after that cat, right?”

“Um. Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“I..oh. Is he your cat?”

“Yeah, I guess. I can’t pay you back though, I don’t have any money.”

“That’s okay! I didn’t mind.” Eren shuffled his feet nervously. “What happened to him?”

The boy sighed. “My fa- my guardian caught him stealing food from the kitchen and threw a bottle of oil at him and he ran off.”

Eren thought that sounded pretty sad. He didn’t know what to say.

“Anyway, uh.” The boy looked kind of uncomfortable. “He’s always doing things like that, so if he runs away again he might go back to your place?”

Eren got it immediately, “I don’t mind! I’ll look after him.”

“Just don’t give him dog food again, that shit’s disgusting.”

Eren was a bit startled by his bad language; he’d get a stern talking to if he spoke like that. “Does he like tuna then?”

“Hell yeah.” The boy smiled for the first time, showing sharp little teeth. Eren smiled back.

“What’s your name?”

“Levi.”

“What’s your cat’s name?”

“Uh. He don’t have one.”

“I called him Greyie.”

“That’s a stupid name.”

“At least it’s better than none!” They seemed to have reached an impasse. “Hey, Levi, do you want to come and meet my dog? I’ve met your cat, after all.”

“I don’t really like dogs,” Levi said.

“Mike’s really nice. And we can have snacks.”

Levi perked up at that. “Really? I’m not allowed to have snacks.”

Up until now, Mike had loved every friend Eren had brought home from school, but he took one sniff in Levi’s direction and fled. It was really strange. Levi just shrugged.

He was very polite to Carla and they spent the afternoon in the living room playing games on the PlayStation. Levi had never used one before and was pretty terrible at first, but his reflexes were like lightning, once he remembered which button he was supposed to be pressing.

Later, Carla said Levi was welcome to visit, and explained that he might not have a good home life. Eren had to tell her if he noticed he was bruised or anything like that. Eren promised he would.

The next morning he woke up to find Greyie curled up on the end of his bed. Eren asked his mom for tuna sandwiches for lunch.

“Hm, that’s unusual,” she said, but didn’t comment further. He gave half to the kitten, after smuggling him outside in his bag. Eren rubbed Greyie’s head as he ate, and the kitten purred.

It turned out Levi went to a different school, and didn’t like it much. Sometimes Eren saw him hanging out with older boys that looked kind of scary, but Levi himself wasn’t scary, just bad-tempered, and Eren figured it was because his guardian (or father; it seemed to vary how Levi referred to him) wasn’t very nice.

Levi knew all the hidden places; where to catch lizards (and he was really good at it) where all the climbable trees were, and every short-cut and back alley that Eren had never noticed. He wasn’t much good at school, and although Eren wasn’t top of his class either, he did his best to help.

He kept his window open all year round, for any morning he could wake up with Greyie on his bed. Carla got used to having a part-time cat, and he didn’t have to hide. On really cold nights he sometimes felt a cold nose against his cheek and he’d lift up the blankets and Greyie would crawl and curl up against his side and purr.

 

~~

They grew up. They started attending the same high school. Levi remained a loner, his hair growing long over his ears and never without a cap on his head. Eren tried to introduce him to his friends, but he seemed withdrawn in a group and preferred to disappear during lunch. Sometimes he disappeared for days.

Eren couldn’t exactly say why they remained friends; it wasn’t that they had much in common other than a liking of cats, but something about Levi drew Eren to him, something that scared him a bit too. And when he smiled, which was rare, Eren felt like he’d won something.

It started to get confusing, as the years passed.

Eren started to shoot up, all lanky and awkward, and Levi grew taller too, but not as much. He filled out instead. His guardian made him do some sort of 'training’ and one hot summer afternoon when Levi shrugged his shirt off and flopped down on the shaded part of the lawn, Eren realised it was really paying off.

“What?” Levi asked flatly.

Eren realised he’d been caught staring and he frowned and looked away. “Nothin’.”

“Jealous, huh?” Levi got up and strolled over to him. No matter how hot it got, Eren never saw him wear shorts; always baggy jeans. “C'mon, let’s train. You’re puny.”

“Am not!”

Levi just raised an eyebrow. Eren really, really didn’t want to train. But he did.

“They say he’s gay, you know, Reiner. He doesn’t look it.” Months later they were back at school, fingers hooked through the chainlink fence as they half-heartedly watched a basketball game. It had taken Eren a great deal of time to work up the nerve to say anything.

“Do you like him?” Levi asked.

“What? Fuck no!” Eren felt like his face was on fire.

“Then what the fuck does it matter to you?” Levi shrugged and walked away. Both shrug and walk were oddly graceful and Eren didn’t turn back to the game until he was out of sight.

He didn’t raise the topic again.

One day, Levi disappeared and didn’t come back. Greyie was gone too. It took Eren a long time to stop hoping that he’d just sort of reappear, and when he finally did accept he was gone, he realised his heart was probably a bit broken. He never told anyone why he was so mopey that autumn, although he suspected Armin had a good idea.

And then the Christmas holidays rolled around, and life went on. He didn’t think of Levi as his first love, but almost. Maybe. If things had been different. If they’d had more time.

In truth, his grades improved without Levi to distract him, and Eren graduated and made it into college with the usual drama such life-changing events involved, but without any real disasters. He wanted to do art. He decided design was more sensible. It was a compromise he was reasonably happy with; he knew he’d need a day job, possibly forever.

~~

In third year he moved into his own apartment, a small place on the top floor of an ugly brown brick box that he absolutely loved because it was his. Well, as long as he kept paying rent it was his. To arrange and fill as he saw fit. He put up with the lack of air-conditioning and the unnerving sounds the lift made. He recognised most of his neighbours by sight, but had the floor to himself for the first six months. There were two apartments on every floor, and one afternoon he was surprised to see a pile of boxes sitting outside the other door. Someone was moving in.

He never saw who; he had to get changed and go to work at the cinema. When he got home late that night, the boxes were gone.

The following evening, Eren was up working on an assignment, when he heard music drifting in the open window next to his desk. He turned off his own music, briefly, wondering where it was coming from. Sounded like it was above him? He stuck his head out the window. Definitely louder out here.

Odd.

Then he went back to work.

When he finally went to bed he could still hear the music, a different song maybe, but similar. He scowled and shut his window.

And then the same thing happened the next night. Someone was on the roof- an unexciting expanse of concrete that some optimistic person had tried to grow potted plants on some years ago, and was otherwise empty- and they were playing music. The same music, over and over, for ages.

After debating with himself for some time, a couple of days in fact, Eren was irritated enough to storm up to the roof to ask whoever it was (and there was only one new resident in the building so there weren’t a lot of suspects) to turn that music down.

The door was locked. Seriously? Eren rattled the handle and knocked on it a few times, but wasn’t really surprised that he couldn’t make himself heard over the racket.

The next morning he found himself humming one of those fucking songs in the shower. Enough was enough.He could close the windows now to sleep, but it was only going to get hotter as summer approached.

_Dear Neighbour, stop playing your music on the roof._

That sounded a bit abrupt, given they’d never spoken or seen each other, but Eren had filled up the sticky note. He squeezed in a _please_ along the side, and a doodle of a cat – his go-to sketch- in the other corner.

To his surprise, there was a message on his own door when he got home that evening, neatly printed on a sticky note.

_I need to rehearse, it’s my job._

_I need to sleep!_ Eren wrote back. Okay, so whoever it was wasn’t just partying up there. But even so. _I don’t have aircon so I can’t close the window._ Eren added another sticky note to fit it all in. Then he had space left over so he filled it with another cat.

_What is it with you and cats anyway?_

_Does this mean you’re not going to stop playing music? I like cats._

_That’s correct._

_You asshole!_ That didn’t seem adequate, and Eren actually knocked on the door a few times, but no one answered.

_Stop banging on my door during the day. I’m trying to sleep._

_Now you know what it’s like. Asshole._ He thumped on the door a few times for good measure. Honestly, he was sort of enjoying himself. His life was mostly work and study and art when he could fit it in, and having something interesting to tell Armin and Mikasa when he skyped with them made a nice change.

_I turned it down; something you clearly didn’t notice. I hope Your Highness is happy._ Two sticky notes.

It actually was a lot quieter, and Eren felt a little silly.

_Thanks._ He added another picture of a cat.

He could still hear it, but he decided he could probably live with it. And he did, until he came down with a vicious summer flu, and what was merely an annoyance became an unbearable addition to the pounding in his head.

_I’m sick. Please turn it down again._

That night all he could hear was his own laboured breathing.

When he opened his door the next morning there was a whole forest of sticky notes on his door.

Some of them made sense; there was a recipe for lemon honey tea, and advice to get lots of rest, others were a bit stranger.

_Sanitise your hands before checking your letterbox._ Was the implication that he caught the flu in the first place from a letterbox, or did his neighbour simply want him to keep his germs to himself? His brain was too foggy to work out an answer and he collected all the notes- they’d practically written him a book- and went back to bed.

That evening someone knocked on his door, and even though he was half asleep he dragged himself up quite fast, motivated by the thought he might finally catch a glimpse of his neighbour. When he opened the door no one was there, but there was a bag with a Tupperware container inside it, quite hot, and a note.

_Can’t stay. Didn’t want to catch anything._

After two days of being sick and lonely, Eren felt a great wave of affection that he directed at the door across the hall. The container held a generous serving of homemade chicken soup. He wasn’t sure a picture of a cat was going to cut it as appropriate thanks. The nights remained quiet.

_I’m feeling much better. You can rehearse again._ Note two. _Thank you very much. The soup was good._ Note three. _My name’s Eren._

The next morning he was excited to check his door.

_I know. Your name is on your letterbox._

Oh.

Eren was sitting at his desk trying to compose a sticky note when it occurred to him that this situation was more than a little ridiculous. If someone’s cooked soup for you, it shouldn’t be too much to actually thank them in person. But when they slept all day and did whatever it was they did on the roof all night with the door locked-

Just then the music started. Eren rested his elbows on the windowsill and looked up.

It wasn’t really that far to the roof, now he thought about it. Oh no. No, that was a bad idea. Probably stupid. But he could totally reach. Up on the windowsill and hook his fingers over the edge.

He chewed his lip. Shit. He was going to do this, wasn’t he? The idea had seized hold.

Fuck it, he was going. He’d been far too sensible for these last few years. He ignored the drop below and swung himself out into the warm night.

He was just tall enough, when standing on his windowsill and hugging the wall, to grab the edge of the roof. He stayed there for a little while, making sure his grip was good and he wasn’t going to fall two storeys to the street below.

Three, two, one, _up_!

Eren grunted as he hauled himself up, and his breath caught and his eyes widened when he finally caught a glimpse of his neighbour.

The man was short and compact and lithe, dressed in black yoga pants, sleeveless white top and what Eren at first took to be fake cat ears and tail. His dark hair was cropped short with an undercut, his face was a mask of concentration.

He was dancing.

He made it look effortless, like he weighed nothing at all as he moved and twisted to the music with a grace that was indeed feline.

Eren’s mouth went dry and his arms were aching but he couldn’t bear to look away, let alone lower himself down onto the windowsill again.

The dancer missed a beat, and those ears flattened against his head as he spun on his heel and glared right at Eren. Shit.

Eren’s grip slipped.

_Shit_.

He cried out in surprise as he scrabbled to get his handhold back and the dancer crouched down and leaped at him. A moment later warm, strong fingers were wrapped around his wrist and his over arm was hooked safely over the concrete edge.

Eren looked up into familiar grey eyes. He’d have recognised them anywhere; he’d never forget.

“Levi,” he breathed.

“Hey, Eren.” Levi braced himself and hauled Eren up onto the roof. “You’ve grown.” He had. Levi only came up to his chin.

“Yeah, you too,” Eren said, still staring. Those shoulders. Those arms. His gaze flicked up. _Those ears._ They looked strangely familiar, too. Kind of oddly fluffy around the edge but not quite tufted.

Holy fuck.

“ _Greyie_?”

Levi flattened his ears back against his heard and scowled, and Eren noticed the end of his tail twitching. “I really fucking hated that name. I only put up with it for the tuna.”

Eren didn’t care. He felt delight bubbling up within him and without further thought he stepped up and wrapped his arms around his old friend. “You’re okay. You’re better than okay. I mean, when Greyie left the same time you did I figured you’d moved away but part of me was still scared something bad had happened.” He’d worry about the fact that his childhood friend had also been his cat another time, right now he was there and warm and solid and real.

Levi heaved a sigh, “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.” He hesitated for a moment and then to Eren’s relief he hugged him back. They stayed like that for a few moments, and Eren supposed he’d have been happy to stay there for longer, but Levi spoke again, “I suppose we’ve got some catching up to do.”

“If you’d rather rehearse I don’t mind- you were amazing.” Eren stepped back, rather reluctantly.

“No, I think I’m done for today.”

Eren was struck by a realisation. “Aw crap! I’m locked out of my apartment.”

“Are you serious?”

“I climbed out the window.” Eren hurried to the edge and looked over and felt a bit queasy. Had he really climbed up here? He must have been mad.

“Well, there’s nothing for it,” Levi said. “Come on.” He collected his CD player, unlocked the door to the roof, and led Eren back to his apartment. Eren couldn’t keep his eyes off his tail as he walked, the way it moved sinuously in time with his steps.

Levi’s apartment was spotlessly clean and cheaply furnished. Levi offered him iced tea and they ended up sitting on his couch.

“Okay,” Levi said. “Go on, I know you want to ask.”

“If you knew who I was why didn’t you say anything? We’ve been writing notes for ages.”

That clearly wasn’t the question Levi had been expecting. He curled his feet up underneath himself.

“I just managed to hide these from you when we were kids,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had a hope now. I figured it was enough to know you were okay, and then you got sick and you know.” He sighed. “I couldn’t believe it was you. That’s a hell of a coincidence.”

Eren wanted to say fate, but the word stuck in his throat. Levi had only become more attractive – yeah, he could think that now, but he didn’t know what to do with it.

“So what happened? Why’d you leave?”

“That man had plans for me. I was searching the internet, carefully, for other creatures like myself and when I found them and told them what my situation was, the rescued me. This guy showed up in a car, showed me his ears and I got in and I left. I didn’t have time to tell you or pack anything. I just had to go. I couldn’t risk that man finding out about the others.”

“So there are more of you?”

“Yeah. We have a dance troupe; eccentricity is tolerated in the theatre and all cats can dance,” he smiled faintly. It faded. “And if you mention _that_ musical I’ll box your ears.”

Eren chuckled, “Okay, okay. So are you people who can turn into cats, or cats who turn into people?”

Levi sipped his tea, the ice in it clinking. “I don’t know. That man always said he adopted me as a kitten and I turned into a boy, but he might have been lying.”

“I guess I can see why you had to hide.” So many little things that were just part of Levi’s oddness were now making sense.

“You were my only friend,” Levi said.

“I still am your friend,” Eren declared.

“So what have you been up to?” Levi asked.

Eren filled him in on his life since they’d parted, and Levi did likewise. They finished the tea and just sat on the couch talking, until Eren’s eyelids started to droop. Levi remained wide awake, but since he slept all day that wasn’t surprising.

“You can stay here if you like,” Levi said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Until you can call the landlord and get yourself back into your apartment tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah. Thanks.”

“It’s probably too hot for blankets, but I’ll get you a pillow,” Levi said, collecting their glasses.

Which was how Eren found himself spending the night on Levi’s couch. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was, I wonder if he’ll let me touch his ears?

“I want to watch you dance,” Eren said.

Now they had reunited they didn’t have to leave notes for each other, but Levi still wasn’t always easy to get a hold of. Eren finally managed to corner him in the laundry in the basement one weekend. Levi was wearing a knitted beret over his ears and Eren assumed his tail was tucked into his trousers. He was well-practiced at hiding his unusual features.

“Hm, okay.” He closed the lid on the washing machine and started it up. “Come on.” He went upstairs to his apartment and searched around for a while before putting a pamphlet into Eren’s hands.

“What’s this?”

“It’s our summer programme. There are instructions for buying tickets on the back.”

“I didn’t- I mean, of course I’ll go.” He winced at the ticket prices, “But I wanted to watch you practice as well.”

“Practice is not performance,” Levi said. Eren’s disappointed look must have got to him cause he sighed. “I’ll let you know if I feel like an audience.”

It was the best he was gonna get, he knew, and he didn’t push it.

Eren was on summer break by this point, and he took on extra shifts to try and build up some savings. One evening he returned from work smelling like popcorn like he usually did. There was thunder about, and the air in his apartment felt heavy and thick, even after he’d opened the windows.

He was just stepping out of a tepid shower when someone knocked on his door.

“I’m uh.” Levi looked him up and down as he dripped in the doorway, towel around his waist. “Sorry to disturb you.”

“No, it’s fine I was on my way out. Of the shower.”

“I’m heading up to practice early, before it rains, if you want to watch.”

“Hell yes. Let me put some pants on.”

The door to the roof was unlocked when Eren climbed the stairs, and Levi was already warming up, stretching as lightning flickered in the distance.

“I dunno how long I’m going to get tonight.”

“That’s okay.” Eren sat on the concrete, still warm from the sun, and watched.

Levi danced, and Eren kept forgetting to breathe. Without the distraction of having to hold himself up by his arms he could lose himself in the movements, the graceful leaps and bounds that surely they didn’t dare do on stage without fake wires to explain their defiance of gravity. He moved like water, like silk, and then the music changed, grew more aggressive and his feet slapped against the concrete and the power that had been hidden behind the graceful distraction of fluttering fingers was displayed in curving spine and rolling muscle and bared teeth.

When Levi finally came to a halt and the music ceased, Eren realised his mouth was hanging open. He could see Levi’s chest heaving and there was a sheen of sweat on his skin.

“Hey,” Levi said, turning to look at him. “Come on. It’s your turn.” He held out his hand as the introduction to the next song started to play.

“I really don’t think I could do that.”

“No shit.” He walked over and Eren clasped his hand. “On your feet. You should be able to do something.”

Eren found himself pulled to his feet.

“Hand here. Straighten up. Like this.” He found himself with his hand on Levi’s shoulder and Levi’s other hand at his waist.

“But.”

“Less talking, more dancing.” He got the impression that Levi didn’t really _want_ to explain himself and when he stepped Eren nearly stumbled as he followed. “Two, three. Relax, Eren, it’s supposed to be fun. No audience here.”

“Yeah.” Fun, maybe. Relaxing, no. Because Levi was holding his hand, and touching his waist, and occasionally shoving and pulling him into position when he fell behind. It was really getting hard to breathe.

And then Levi looked up into his eyes and Eren realised his feet seemed to be getting the hang of it, because he forgot about them. Levi gave him a faint smile and maybe they drifted a bit closer, and then Eren was stumbling again as Levi spun him out and drew him back and Eren nearly crashed into him.

“Sorry,” he grinned. Self-concious, but it was okay, really. The next time it happened he was ready for it and the half-stumble against Levi’s chest might have been deliberate. If he noticed he said nothing, nor did he push him away.

A few spots of warm rain had landed on Eren’s arms and face by the time the music ended, and the thunder was a continuous rumble in the background. They stood there for a few moments, and Eren was glad then, in a way, that Levi had disappeared. Because as young and ignorant as he’d been back then he’d have screwed up eventually. First love doesn’t last.

“Levi,” he said softly. He hadn’t worked out what he was going to say and it didn’t matter because he never got the chance to say it. At that moment the heavens opened and a wall of water swept across the roof.

Levi _hissed_ and his tail fluffed up like a bottle-brush and his ears flattened back against his skull as they were instantly soaked. He grabbed the CD player and made a run for the door, Eren laughing at his heels.

“I hate rain!” Levi snarled, trying to shake the drips off as he hurried back to his apartment.

Levi was concerned about the player and took it to the kitchen to wipe it down with a cloth, swearing under his breath the whole time and looking equal parts miserable and, in Eren’s view, rather adorable. He hurried to the bathroom and found a towel. He remembered a kitten, long ago, with matted fur.

He draped the towel over Levi’s shoulders. “Better?”

“No. What use is it like that?” Levi snapped.

“Okay, how about this?” He fully expected Levi to fight him when he wrapped the towel over his head and started drying his ears and hair, but to his surprise Levi just stood there, letting him do as he wished. He was careful with his ears and brisk with his hair and then he started drying his shoulders and back.

“Bring back memories?” Eren asked.

“Shut up, Eren,” Levi murmured, his voice deep and relaxed. He turned around to face him, the towel back around his shoulders again. His eyes were the colour of the sky outside.

“Can I touch your ears?” Eren asked. “I really want to.”

Levi hesitated a moment. “Go on then.” He frowned and concentrated on drying his arms while Eren cautiously reached up.

Greyie had liked having the back of his ears rubbed, Eren remembered. His ears were a lot bigger now, and Eren curled his fingers around them, running them through Levi’s hair and gently scratching behind his ears. They were as soft and warm as he remembered, still slightly damp.

He glanced at Levi’s face, but he was expressionless; Eren didn’t know if he was enjoying or enduring. Or rather, he didn’t until his eyes started to close, and a strange, low rumble emanated from his chest. For a moment Eren thought he was growling and his hands stilled. And then he realised he was _purring_ and Eren stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his cheek to the top of his head like he had so many times as a child.

“I don’t want you to leave again,” he said. “Not ever.”

Levi reached up and patted him on the back. “You’re cold,” he said. “You were in the rain too.” He shifted in Eren’s arms and flung the towel around him. “Either have a shower or dry off,” he said. “I don’t want you to get sick again.”

“Levi.” He needed an answer. “I don’t care if you’re a cat.”

“I know.” He leaned up and rubbed his cheek against Eren’s and Eren nuzzled him back and by the time their lips met Levi’s arms were around him. His teeth were long and sharp but his tongue was soft and Eren’s hand found the back of one ear again, and Levi purred.


	4. Levi/Eren Canonverse: Say Nothing

_Eren didn’t say anything._

 

Eren admired him, had always done so. He was Humanity’s Strongest after all, and he was inspiring and reassuring. But he probably heard that a lot from young recruits, and Eren didn’t say anything.

He’d screwed up, done it wrong, hadn’t met the standards of cleanliness Levi held his soldiers to. He had an explanation; Hange had talked to him for twenty minutes while he was sweeping, the broom was old and losing its bristles, and he was hungry. But he’d probably heard such things a million times before, and Eren didn’t say anything.

They were dead, all of them, and Eren knew his Captain was trying to comfort him in a bare-bones sort of way. Eren wanted to rage and scream, or hang his head and cry, or just pour out how empty and guilty he felt. But Levi had probably sat up with other grieving survivors on nights like this one, and he didn’t want to add to his burdens, so Eren didn’t say anything.

They were alive, just. And how could you express the gratitude you felt towards someone who saved your life? What words were adequate? It was Levi’s duty, anyway, and he’d probably saved many, many lives in his time. He’d know the words couldn’t be more than tokens, and Eren didn’t say anything.

They were alone. Waiting. Eren tried to look away but couldn’t. He didn’t know how to name the things he felt, or he did but couldn’t imagine saying them. Not to Levi. Just when he thought he’d worked up the nerve it would crack, and he’d swallow, or chew on his lip or stare at his fingernails. Levi probably didn’t want to hear it anyway, and so Eren didn’t say anything.

The news was that he was dead, and it was too late, and it hurt like a blade in the gut. He knew the dead were gone and no longer listened, so Eren didn’t say anything.

They were reunited, and Eren learned that it was possible to physically shake with relief, and he could barely breathe let alone speak, and Eren didn’t say anything.

They won, if you could call these broken ruins a victory. He could see the utter disbelief reflected in Levi’s eyes and Eren knew, he knew what he was feeling because everyone felt the same. Too startled to start celebrating just yet and wondering what to do with themselves and no one knew what to say, so Eren didn’t say anything.

They celebrated, and Eren saw Levi smile, half-drunk. And he was drawn closer, like a moth to flame, and he stumbled against him but the smile didn’t fade. Instead Levi just shoved him back, and he couldn’t have been _that_ drunk but they pretended and swayed against each other, shoulder to shoulder, listening to the songs. He didn’t want to screw this up, and Eren didn’t say anything.

They woke up, still mildly surprised to see the other was still there. He supposed a ‘good morning’ might be appropriate but before he said a word Levi crawled over him and smiled and bent his head to kiss him. He thought then that things were going to be all right. But his mouth was full, and Eren didn’t say anything.

They watched the sun rise over the ocean. Levi had grumbled about being woken up, and about the sand in his boots and about the fact that the ocean wasn’t drinkable and that he needed a piss. He rested his head against Eren’s shoulder and watched the sky turn gold though slitted eyes. He knew Levi didn’t really regret being woken up so early, but Eren didn’t say anything.

He loved him. But Levi already knew that, and Eren didn’t need say to anything.


	5. Levi/Eren Canonverse: Something To Talk About

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter was the season for rumour…

It was winter.

It was the time of year when almost every day was punctuated by cold rain. Food was harder to come by and the budget had to stretch further. The Survey Corps did their best to stay occupied with study and drills and Levi’s endless cleaning roster. Washing up became a coveted job; at least the hot water warmed the hands.

It was uncomfortable and draining, and above all boring. Everyone was cooped up inside most of the time, and the biggest issue was trying to keep morale up with nothing to occupy the troops but brooding over their likely deaths beyond the wall come spring. The midwinter celebration was something, but once it was over HQ sunk back into wintery gloom. The only thing that enlivened existence was gossip, which was rife all year round but reached a fever peak in the cold months when more than a few people staved off the cold and the boredom by sharing body heat and everyone else passed around the scurrilous details.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Levi?” Erwin didn’t summon Levi often; they saw far too much of each other as it was, and Levi cast a critical eye over the dust gathering in the corners of Erwin’s office. Spring cleaning couldn’t come soon enough.

“I always thought it looked fucking stupid,” Levi said. “But it’s kind of your thing now, so if you stopped wearing it it would be weird.”

“What?”

“What?”

Erwin shifted his jaw but didn’t rise to the bait. “You’re hardly one to give fashion advice, Levi. This is about Eren.”

“What’s the brat done now?” Levi was genuinely puzzled. He didn’t feel obliged to watch the kid twenty-four hours a day, but he kept a pretty close eye on him anyway, as instructed.

“There’s a rumour going around,” Erwin said carefully. “About Eren.”

Levi sighed, “I don’t listen to gossip, but even if it’s true, so what? As long as he’s not dumb enough to knock anyone up-”

“And you.”

Levi’s brain stuttered to a halt for a few seconds.

“Eren and I? Absolutely not, Sir.” He drew breath to defend their honour further but Erwin merely nodded.

“That’s fine. Thank you, Levi.” Dismissed.

Blind-sided, Levi stood outside Erwin’s door for a few moments. Rumours? About _him_? Oh, he was going to get to the bottom of this.

“Hange!” By the time he’d reached Hange’s laboratory, he was ropeable. He didn’t bother knocking and Moblit nearly dropped the book he was holding when Levi stalked in. “Talk, Glasses.”

“Certainly, Levi,” Hange grinned at him. “It’s so rare for you to visit. Any particular subject you’d like to converse on?”

“Out!” Levi ordered Moblit and he made a run for it. “I was just talking to Erwin,” he said. “What’s this I hear about rumours regarding Eren and I?”

“Oh that.” Hange shrugged and made a correction to a line in one of their notebooks. “It’s all over HQ.”

“What is?” Levi asked, through gritted teeth.

“Hmm.” Hange scratched their scalp with the end of a pen. Disgusting. “How do I put this? That Eren’s sweet naivety has won a scarred warrior’s heart? That you’ve taken it upon yourself to usher a youthful bud into full manhood- ack!” Hange was choked off as Levi grabbed the front of their shirt.

“I’m not really in the mood for jokes.”

“I’m not joking,” Hange said. They raised their eyebrows. “You mean it’s not true?”

“Is what not true? No, I am not fucking the titan brat. Why would anyone think I was?”

Hange stared at him, the cold light filtering through the window reflecting off their glasses. “You’re always together.”

“I have to be.”

They shook their head. “You don’t seem to mind it. In fact, you’re always talking to him. And the way he looks at you-”

“He looks up to me, I’m aware of this,” he said, daring Hange to make a joke of it.

“It had to happen eventually,” they said. “You meet someone who admires you who isn’t put off by what you’re really like.”

“It’s not like that,” Levi muttered. Was it?

~~~

“The fuck you implying about the Captain?” Eren snarled.

“Eren!” Mikasa grabbed his arm before he ripped off someone else’s. They didn’t know these particular soldiers well; the whole group of them had been ordered to clean out the dining hall, which wasn’t all the dirty to begin with and thus the chatter and careless joking.

Only Eren had heard something that he didn’t find funny at all, even if the young man making the suggestive hand gesture at him had apparently decided it was amusing.

Not so amusing now. Everyone knew who Eren was and what he was capable of and the room had grown quiet.

“Nothin'” he said hastily. “Nothing. Just you know, what everyone knows. About you and him.”

Eren looked around the room, and realised no one was meeting his eyes. Even Mikasa looked away. His face felt hot. He had no idea everyone had been talking about him like that. And he couldn’t leave because he had work to do. He released the soldier’s arm and went back to sweeping without another word, his head bowed. Eventually, everyone else did the same.

“You mean everyone’s talking about it?” Eren had dragged Armin off to a corner during lunch.

“Well, it’s just a rumour,” Armin said diplomatically. “There are always rumours.”

“Yeah, but it’s like everyone believes this one.” Eren frowned and looked closer at Armin, who was frowning and staring at his food as if debating what to say. “You believe it too!”

“Well, I don’t any more,” Armin hastened to assure him. “If it’s not true then it’s not true, and I’m sure the rumour mill will move on to someone else soon.”

Eren slumped in his seat, “You’re my best friend.”

“You can’t blame me,” Armin said. “I mean, the Captain seems more relaxed around you than most other people.”

“He does?”

“You two always stay up talking in the mess, and you have breakfast with him. You train with him a lot and he’s always looking out for you, right?”

“That’s just the way he is,” Eren said defensively. “He’s fair, and kind.”

“Eren,” Armin looked at him with a mixture of pity and exasperation. “I don’t think anyone else in this room would call Captain Levi kind.”

The whole thing had given Eren a lot to think about, and it kept him awake that night. Did Levi really treat him differently? From other people’s perspective did they really look like there was something between them? Was there?

The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. Levi _did_ spend a lot of time with him. There was training and cleaning and all of that, but he didn’t mind if Eren sat at his table for breakfast, and in fact Eren usually was the one who made him a morning cup of tea. And sometimes they stayed behind when it was late, Eren because his dungeon room was cold and dark and Levi- why did he? And when they were talking, even in a group, Eren always stood close because…because.

He liked the sound of his voice.

Okay, maybe he liked Levi a little in general.

He rolled over and pulled the blanket up further over his ears and wondered if Levi had heard the rumours too, and what he thought of them.

~~~

The next morning Levi was waiting for his tea. He hadn’t slept terribly well and was feeling tired and irritable. His fingers ached with cold. Eren was making his tea as usual, but he was clumsier today, nearly dropping things, or putting things down and forgetting where he left them, and generally being flustered and more useless than usual. Levi carefully ignored him, however much he itched to tell him to just sit down and let someone competent do it this morning.

“Sir.” Eren finally put the cup down and then stepped back like he expected a slap.

“Thank you, Eren.” They both bolted their breakfast and muttered some sort of excuse and fled.

Levi didn’t do this sort of thing. He never had. Things just hadn’t worked out right; he knew he was hard to get along with, and he knew he had to act the way he did to keep the soldiers he cared about sane and alive and if that meant no personal life that was fine. If he was lonely he could always visit Hange and remind himself why he never visited Hange. If he was horny he could take care of that himself too. He could clean, he could drink- it occurred to him that his downtime consisted almost entirely of coping mechanisms, but so what? Almost everyone else in the Survey Corps was in exactly the same boat.

Why everyone assumed Eren of all people-

He nearly walked into Eren, of all people, such was his distraction. He couldn’t even remember why he was heading towards the kitchen in the first place. Eren saluted and apologised profusely and Levi didn’t hear any of it, he just stared at him as he babbled.

“Where are you going?” he asked abruptly.

“Um. Nowhere. I was rostered on this morning’s washing up so-”

“Oh. Very well.” Eren took this as a dismissal and made to walk past. “We should-”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Talk. And walk, I suppose.” He suddenly regretted not paying more attention to how people did this sort of thing.

They walked. The talking was more difficult.

“Fuck it’s cold,” Levi muttered, drawing his cloak closer around him. They were touring the training grounds, deserted in this weather. Levi didn’t think it would snow; it rarely snowed, but that was a small comfort. The wind cut through their clothing and they ended up around the sheltered side of the HQ, sticking close to the wall.

Eren took a deep breath, “Did you hear the rumours, Captain?’

“Mm.” To go further would have meant braving the wind again, and they halted by mutual agreement. Levi glanced at him, and Eren dropped his gaze. Levi looked away and when he looked back Eren was watching him. Levi shrugged, “So?” What was he supposed to say? “If the others are hard on you there’s not much I can do.”

“No- it’s not. I mean. I thought it was disrespectful,” Eren said. “To you.”

“It is,” Levi said. “But not for the reason you think. It’s not you.” He smiled faintly, self-deprecating and wry. “If anything you’re a compliment.”

“Really?” His cheeks were pink. It might have been the cold. “Cause I mean, you’re you.”

Levi stared at him. Fuck, Eren was almost as hopeless as he was. It gave him a bit of heart.

“A brilliant observation, Eren, we’ll make a strategist of you yet.”

Like always, Eren just seemed to find his sarcasm funny, and he grinned and shrugged. “All this fuss over nothing, huh Sir?”

“Well.” Now it was his turn to shrug. “We could give them something to talk about.”

He looked into Eren’s bright eyes.

“O-oh. Yeah,” Eren said eagerly. They stared at each other, Eren bright and hopeful, Levi increasingly resigned. At least he hadn’t screwed it up yet. They waited for the other to do something, getting increasingly cold as they did so. Eventually, Levi gave in.

“I have to do everything, don’t I?” Levi said. He took one last look around to make sure they were unobserved and then he leaned up and pressed his lips briefly to Eren’s. He was dammed if he was going to do any more without Eren’s participation, however.

He needn’t have worried.

Eren beamed like it was his birthday, took a deep breath, and grabbed the collar of Levi’s jacket, yanking him forwards and practically slobbering on him like a dog. His technique was shit, Levi decided on the basis of no comparison whatsoever. Shit but endearing. Endearing and addictive. That’s what he got for initiating a make-out session with a teenager who’d only caught glimpses of other teenagers, he supposed. Actually it was somewhat of a relief; if Eren had actually been _good_ at it Levi might have lost his nerve. They ended up leaning against the wall and Levi fought his way past Eren’s tongue in an attempt to guess how it was supposed to be done and it was the first time he’d felt warm in months.

There was something in this kissing business.

“Unhygienic little shit,” Levi said when they broke apart, breathless.

“Yeah.” Eren bent his head forward and tried to hide his grin in Levi’s shoulder. They made themselves more comfortable against the wall, and each other, basking in each other’s warmth.

“I wonder who started those rumours,” Eren said, admiring the way their gloved fingers looked entwined.

“Oh who the fuck knows?” Levi said. “This bullshit happens every single year. It’s like clockwork.”

Erwin stepped away from the window and sat down at his desk. From a locked drawer he took out a special copy of the staff list. For his eyes only. There were arrows and question marks and little notes in the margin, and he hovered over it for a few moments, pen in hand, before decisively crossing out two names.

It’s not like lightning was going to strike _there_ twice.


	6. Levi/Eren Rock Star AU: Acting Their Age

“So I was thinking the week of the twenty-seventh,” Armin said, his voice rising tinnily from Eren’s phone resting on the bench next to the chopping board. “That gives us a week to catch up before the kids finish their exams and join us after.”

“They still want to go on family holidays?” Eren asked slicing chicken off the cold carcass and laying the meat on the sandwiches he was making. “I thought they’d be too cool to hang out with Dad and Dad at the beach.”

“They’ll want to go for the chance to see you and Levi. It’s been a long time.”

“Still that popular, huh?”

“Speaking of Levi, how is he?”

“Preoccupied.” Eren frowned, wrapping up the remains of the chicken. “Just these last couple of days. He spent the morning in the attic, of all places.”

“Cleaning?” Armin suggested, which wasn’t a bad guess, all things considered. They had what Eren suspected was the cleanest attic in the northern hemisphere.

“No I don’t think so. I heard him shifting boxes around.” Eren closed the sandwiches and washed his hands. “It’s been quiet for a while though. I should probably go and see what he’s up to. I’ll get back to you about that holiday- see what Levi thinks.”

“Okay Eren, talk to you soon.”

When Eren poked his head up into the attic it was empty (and clean) but there were some definite holes in the carefully stored detritus of twenty years of co-habitation.

“Levi? Where are you? I made lunch.”

He found him in the bedroom. The contents of several cardboard boxes, all clothes, were spread across the bed, and Levi was standing in front of the mirror, carefully winding bandages around his eyes.

“Well this is nostalgic,” Eren said, leaning against the door frame.

“Hm,” Levi said.

“What is going on?” Eren asked. He moved over to the bed and shifted an old jacket so he could sit down. “It looks a bit moth-eaten that’s a bit sad.”

Levi sighed, “Hange suggested a reunion tour. For No Name.”

“That’s great news! I love No Name.”

Levi smiled faintly, “I know. I’m just not convinced it’s a good idea.”

“Why not? I bet every show would sell out.”

Levi lifted the bandages off his face. “I can’t believe we ever thought these were a good idea. Eren, don’t you think sixty is a little old to be prancing around on stage in tight pants?”

“Nope.” Eren smiled brightly. “Mick Jagger kept performing until he was a hundred and four.”

“Didn’t they use holograms in the end?”

“That’s just a rumour. I believe in Mick. And besides, you’re hardly a hundred and four and I bet you’d still look spectacular in tight pants.”

“You’re hardly an unbiased observer,” Levi said wryly. He turned away from the mirror to look at Eren. “I just don’t know. If we do it, we should do it right; a big tour, not just the US.”

Eren didn’t say anything, he just listened attentively while Levi thought it out.

“Would you come with me?” he asked.

“What, on tour?”

“It’ll be months, otherwise.”

Eren rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, months is a long time for me to do nothing but sit in hotel rooms. And besides, who’d look after the cats? I don’t want to go for the whole thing, sorry Levi. Maybe like a couple of weeks here and there. If you do Japan, I wanna be there for that; your Japanese fans are crazy- in a good way.”

“You’re more fired up than I am,” Levi said.

Eren tilted his head, regarding his husband thoughtfully; he knew he was looking for reassurance. “You could do this, you know. If you wanted to. But you don’t have to; it’s not like we need the money.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Dunno what you’re gonna do about Mike though; he’s pretty bald nowadays.”

“Oh, Hange’ll think of something. What about the grey though?” He ran his hands through his hair.

“Don’t dye it. Everyone’ll know. I think it looks cool, anyway.”

“Okay, okay. No dye.”

“Hey, are these the pants?” Eren had been examining the clothes Levi had unearthed and he picked up a pair of trousers.

“Which pants?”

“ _The_ pants,” Eren said slyly, referring to the ones Levi had been wearing when the night their stage flirting had continued in the dressing room for the first time.

“No. I don’t know what happened to those. These are a different pair.”

“I wonder if you could still get into them.”

“Bet I could.”

“Go on then.” Eren held them out and Levi grabbed them along with the jacket before whisking out of the room. Eren sat on the bed and waited.

He heard Levi’s voice first, singing one of the songs that had made his teenage heart ache, first for the life on the stage and then for the man who was singing it. Levi made his entrance and Eren stared, transported back in time, his mouth slightly open. Levi sang sometimes, but he rarely cloaked himself in that effortless charisma that had kept the crowd screaming at his feet for years.

He stalked forward, his eyes never leaving Eren’s, until he was between Eren’s knees. Eren feel back on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows and Levi followed, ceasing to sing as he half lay on top of him.

The smile drained from Levi’s face as he watched him.

“You know, marrying me killed your career, Eren.”

Eren shook his head, “It was a shitty career, and I _let_ it die. I could have fought for it, even if I wasn’t as established as you guys.”

“Why didn’t you?” Levi asked.

“Could you imagine it? Twice the tours, twice the fans, twice the bullshit.” Eren gave him a fragile smile, “We would have broken up.”

“We nearly did, if I recall.”

“Yeah.”

“So are you okay with it all starting up again?”

“It’s only one tour, Levi. If Hange wants to make it an annual thing I will be having words I assure you, but one more time? Why not? I’ve missed seeing you in lights.”

Levi touched Eren’s face, “It’s not going to be easy to go back. I’ll want you backstage, the first time at least.”

Eren grinned wickedly, “You can have me backstage, if that’s what you want.”

“Ohh, I see how it is.” Levi narrowed his eyes and trailed his fingers down Eren’s neck. “But I don’t think I can wait that long.”

He didn’t give Eren a chance to respond other than with a delighted giggle that should have been ridiculous coming from someone his age, but one thing Levi had learned in the rock ‘n roll business was that no one, ever, should act their age.


	7. Levi/Eren College AU: An Excellent Fucking Start

Levi had to remind himself that this wasn’t the first day of school. This was college, this was better, this was where he’d worked hard to be. He clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails dug into his palms.

He didn’t belong here, not at all. He watched proud parents and bored siblings unloading suitcases and boxes and finding out where their rooms were. Levi stood by himself, a little ways off; he was just observing before just blindly marching in, he told himself. It made sense to watch and learn. At his feet was his one bag full of clothes, his laptop bag slung over his arm.

He was going to live with these people. Well, it wasn’t like he hadn’t lived with many unsuitable people before. He’d written to the various foster parents he remembered fondly, and ignored the ones he didn’t, because he wanted them to know he was making something of himself. He wasn’t asking them for money and didn’t want them to think that he was.

Some sent him some anyway, and he was stupidly grateful.

Another family arrived, parking near where Levi stood and watched. A perfect set, he thought resentfully.

“We can’t park here,” the mother pointed at the standing zone only sign. “Well unload here and help you move once we find a proper park.”

Levi watched as the family unit took out the usual piles of crap that everyone in the entire building seemed to think was of vital importance, and drove off leaving the boy behind. He looked a bit lost, Levi thought, but excited too, looking about with an air of hopefulness.

He was pretty; taller than Levi (but who wasn’t?) and slightly scruffy without being a slob about it. He looked like a nice person.

He was looking at Levi.

Shit. Levi averted his gaze. Try not to out yourself on the first fucking day, he told himself.

“I like your hat.”

Levi snapped his head up again to see that the object of his attention had walked right up to him, and goddamn he didn’t look any less nice up close. He had bright eyes and a brighter smile and he was directing that smile at Levi.

“What?” Levi asked.

“I said I like your hat.”

Levi’s hat was home made; a gift from a lady who’d been his grandmother for only seven months, but who still sent him sweets at Christmas. The hat had arrived a few days before he’d left for college; she must have started work on it as soon as she’d received his letter. It was grey and sort of shapeless, and really too big for Levi (she’d had to guess his size, after all) and he treasured the ugly thing like nothing else and he was prepared to flatten anyone who said anything bad against it. He didn’t have a plan for people who actually _liked_ it.

“I think it’s cute! It’s like you’ve got cat ears,” Young and Beautiful continued blithely.

“Urhgmn,” Levi mumbled. Shit. This wasn’t a conversation he’d been prepared to have.

He laughed, “I’m Eren.”

“Levi.” Levi managed to remember his own name, somehow.

He was crap at this stuff. What was he supposed to say? How did you make friends with people? No one ever wanted to be his friend much. It was easier to be scary, although apparently his hat was going to work against him in that endeavor. He resisted the urge to reach up and touch it and try and find these cat ears Eren was going on about.

“Are you moving in?” Eren asked.

“Of course I’m fucking moving in, what does it fucking look like?” Levi snapped, and then regretted it. “Ugh.”

“Well, you weren’t moving, that’s all. Are you waiting for someone?” Eren didn’t look annoyed at least, tilting his head curiously. Levi admired his neck and then frowned.

Levi shook his head. “No. Just.” It wasn’t any of his business, he thought.

“I’m kinda nervous,” Eren said. “But hey, we’re all in the same boat, right? Everyone’s nervous so I should just dive right in.” He was trying to be reassuring, Levi realised with mortification. He thought _he_ needed cheering up.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Nervous animals are more likely to behave unpredictably.”

“Uh. Wow. Animals, huh?”

Levi looked down at his bag and wished the earth would swallow him up. He wished Eren would find someone else to talk to; someone who knew how to hold a conversation. He didn’t trust himself to respond.

But Eren seemed at a bit of a loss too.

“Sorry,” Levi muttered eventually.

“Well, that’s okay. I mean, I hope I’m not included in with the animals, but.”

“No! That is, um. No.” He was scowling furiously and he knew it probably looked bad but it was sort of his default expression and he was directing it entirely at himself.

“Am I bothering you?” Eren asked.

Levi shook his head.

“It’s not just the hat that’s cute,” Eren mumbled quietly.

When Levi looked up at him again Eren was smiling shyly at him.

“Fffhaaa,” Levi said eloquently.

“Haha. You’ve gone really red.”

“Fuck off!” Levi picked up his bag and marched away.

“Hey, Levi! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Eren took a few steps after him but had to stay by his things. “Scare you off.”

Levi was not fucking scared. Not of anything, not of stupid cute idiots with a bad taste in hats _and_ in men.

He went right up and got his room allocation and fled into it. His roommate wasn’t there yet, and he sighed with relief. He had some time alone to collect himself. He picked out a bed and sat on it, burying his face in his hands.

What a terrible start to the year. Hopefully he’d never see Eren again and he could forget all about it.

He had hardly anything to unpack and was nearly done when he heard footsteps approaching; several sets by the sound of it. He took a deep breath and tried to arrange his face into something approaching neutral friendliness.

“This is the one!” Eren called back cheerfully as he flung open the door. He came to a dead halt when he saw Levi, his eyes widening. “Oh. Hi.”

Levi stared at him.

Eren smiled, “Well, this is a good start to the year.”

Levi sagged. Yeah, an excellent fucking start.


	8. Levi/Eren Unspecified

“Pfft!” Eren bit down on his lip, trying to keep a straight face while Levi frowned at him. “Did you hear that?” he whispered loudly.

“I did,” Levi said, not looking up from his book.

“He called him ‘my little puppy,’” Eren said, refusing not to be delighted by this information.

Levi sighed, “They’ve been doing it for years. I still wish I could scrub the memory of Mike calling Erwin ‘rosebud’ off my brain.”

“I think it’s cute. I could give you a pet name.”

“You do; you die.”

Eren fell silent for a while. “Angelface,” he muttered.

Levi narrowed his eyes and looked up from his book. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, gorgeous.”

“Are those really the best you can do? That’s pathetic. Greedy little cocksucker.”

“What the hell? They’re supposed to be nice!” Eren objected. “Kitten,” he practically snarled.

Levi just looked at him. “I was being nice,” he purred. “My most beautiful mistake.”

“I. O-oh.” He shouldn’t be allowed to use that expression, Eren thought. That’s not fair. “You still can’t just call someone a cocksucker, lover.”

Levi flinched at the last word. “Lover?”

“Is fucker better? My magnificent fucker?”

“Insatiable incubus.”

“Inexhaustible stallion.”

“Incorrigible tease.”

They stared at each other.

“Fuck,” Levi said.

“Yeah,” Eren agreed. So they abandoned their seat and did so.


	9. (nsfw) Levi/Eren Modern AU

Levi heard the front door shut.

“I’m in the garage,” he called, before Eren could even ask. The man himself appeared in the interior doorway a few moments later. “No need to take it to the shop,” Levi said with some pride as he closed the hood. “Fixed it myself.”

“Wow,” Eren said.

“Well, I can teach you if you like-” He was looking at the car and he broke off as he felt Eren’s breath on the back of his neck. “What?”

Eren didn’t answer, instead breathing deeply. Fuck knew why; he’d been at it most of the day, and he smelled of sweat and machine oil and WD40. He was streaked with grease, but there was simply no avoiding it; he just had to put up with it until the job was done.

“Hmm.” Eren snaked an arm around his shoulders and placed his lips on Levi’s neck. He stepped forward, pressing himself against Levi’s back. What the fuck had gotten into him?

“Eren.” It was like trying to escape an amorous octopus and Levi was pretty sure he could feel Eren’s dick against his leg. “Don’t fucking touch me!” He pushed him away. “I’m fucking filthy.”

“I know,” Eren whispered brokenly, his breath leaving his lips in shallow gasps and his eyes wide.

“Do you have a grease fetish?” Levi asked. “That’s twisted.”

“I have a you looking like that fetish, I think,” Eren said, licking his lips.

“Still twisted,” Levi muttered. “I’m going to wash this shit off.”

“Right,” Eren mumbled, hiding his eyes behind his hair and his erection behind his hands

“In the shower,” Levi said.

“Mm.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “ _You are invited._ ”

“O-oh? Oh!”


	10. Levi/Sasha Canonverse

It was terrifying. She forced herself to calm down, to stop her hands shaking. A hunter needed steady hands; for drawing a bow, for setting a trap, and for slicing meat. She forced them to be still.

She’d seen too many people die to have faith in anyone anymore, or at least, that’s what she’d thought, but to see her captain wounded, to be hunted like a wild animal- It felt like a piece of the ground beneath her feet had crumbled away. Part of her had still believed that somehow he’d keep them safe, or at least, he’d keep himself safe, that even if she died he would carry on. If Humanity’s Strongest wasn’t strong enough, then what was left?

She pushed the needle into his skin and he didn’t even flinch. He glanced at her and gave her a nod, letting her know she could continue. Steady hands, she reminded herself.

She wasn’t squeamish, and she worked as fast as she could; the kindest thing to do was go swiftly. She wanted to be kinder. She’d - she’d give him her food, if he’d would accept it, and she knew he wouldn’t.

She wondered if he could even feel her needle. Maybe once you’d lived as long as he had in this world you went entirely numb. Or maybe you tried, anyway.

She felt young and pointless and everything and everyone was so broken, but she wanted so much to give him something, anything. She pulled the thread taut and looped in a knot to secure it.

“You know.” Her voice was a whisper and she swallowed and tried again. “It’s okay to cry…”

He looked at her. “Yes,” he said softly. “It is.”

The way her eyes blurred made it look like he was smiling.


	11. Levi/Eren Race Car AU

“Ferrari! Get out of my fucking way!” Eren snarled as the vastly expensive machine glided past him. Eren paid it no notice; there was no point in trying to catch the supercars.

Technically, racing was forbidden, but it was a racetrack; what _else_ was a young man with a decent car going to do? Eren had been visiting the Nürburgring since he’d gotten his first car almost every weekend the weather was good. He’d traded up a few times since then, and he thought he knew the circuit pretty well.

He and his friends compared race times, and occasionally Jean would agree to a real race, but mostly Eren would pick a competitor at random and try and beat them. Only, it hadn’t been so random recently.

The Mercedes was a nicer car than Eren’s, and he’d wondered if the office worker in the suit who drove it had told his company just what he did with it on weekends. Eren had taken one look at him in the queue at the barriers and decided he’d be his next opponent.

Only he couldn’t catch the fucker. And when the barriers saw to it that he started ahead, Eren couldn’t shake him either. He’d overtaken him once, and had the audacity to wave at Eren as he went past. It was, by this point, personal.

Round and round they went, and when they stopped to refuel, Eren finally got to meet his nemesis. Levi was short and French and foul-mouthed and when he smiled at Eren his stomach rolled—from sheer frustration, of course.

“Are you going back out?” Eren asked in English, the only language they had in common.

“I’m only here for the weekend, I’ll make the most of it. I’m on a company card so I don’t pay for fuel, but you’re wasting your money trying to catch me.”

“Yeah? We’ll see.”

Levi smiled at him and Eren stomped away because he didn’t like it one bit. Not at all.

The rest of the long summer afternoon so no change in their relative positions on the board, so to speak, but Eren managed to break his own time. He was not grateful. Levi’s determined look and faint smile taunted him.

He seethed as he waited for the barriers to go up. This was, he had to admit, the most epic battle of his life. He wanted to win.

By the time the sun set and the track was cleared, Eren was sure there was something up with that Mercedes. It had to have been modified; his pride demanded it.

He wasn’t surprised that Levi was waiting for him when they left the track. He pulled over beside the Mercedes and got out.

“What is with this car?” He demanded, as Levi leaned against the driver’s side door, arms folded.

“It’s standard. It’s a good car. It’s better than your pile of shit.”

It took all Eren had not to seize him by the collar, and instead he clenched his fists by his sides and glared down at him, nose to nose. Levi didn’t bat an eyelid.

“My car is not a piece of shit.” There was a lot more he wanted to say, but he didn’t know the English. “You are a piece of shit.”

“A piece of shit you couldn’t seem to get past. Or did you like looking at my arse that much?”

Eren felt his face heat up. “You think this is-” he searched for the right word. “ _Flirting_?”

The look on Levi’s face told him that he’d walked right into a verbal trap. “I think this is foreplay.” He had that stupid, awful look on his face again and Eren realised what it was he wanted to do to it.

Their teeth clicked together as Eren pressed his mouth against Levi’s. He felt his lip catch and it stung enough that it might have drawn blood and he didn’t care. He tangled his hands in Levi’s stupid perfect hair and Levi made a harsh sound in the back of his throat that had him losing his breath.

“Where are you staying?” Eren asked when he pulled back.

“I have a hotel room,” Levi said. “I’ll show you. Try not to get lost.”

Eren curled his swollen lip. “As if you could lose me.”

Levi didn’t argue with that.

“And another thing,” Eren said, as he went back to his car. “You’re racing tomorrow, yes?” At his nod Eren continued. “What happened doesn’t change anything. I will kick your arse.”

“I can’t wait to see you try,” Levi drawled. “Especially after what I do to you tonight.”


	12. Levi/Eren Hogwarts AU

“Look at me! Just breathe, okay?” Levi straightened up, the boy in his arms.

“I can do one or the other but not both; you’re breathtaking.”

Levi pulled a face. “Just fucking brilliant, a comedian. You want me to drop you?”

“You can’t drop me; you’re supposed to be rescuing me.”

“Yeah, and you’re supposed to be having a panic attack. What happened to that?”

“I was not having a panic attack!” He huffed and adjusted his arm around Levi’s neck as he set off down the corridor. “I just couldn’t breathe. Those …stairs made me nauseous, that’s all. I would have been fine. You’re the one who swooped in like, like some sort of big black bat.”

Levi rolled his eyes. At least it wasn’t too much further to the infirmary. His rescuee squirmed in his arms, looking around.

“You’re carrying me. You haven’t broken a sweat.” He groped around his shoulders and his arms. “Man, those robes do not flatter you.” He grinned, all sparkling green eyes and how did someone from central Europe get such a nice tan anyway? “So, what’s your name?”

“Levi.”

“I’m Eren. I just transferred, well, I guess you could probably tell that.”

“Mm.”

“Are you a seventh year?”

Levi looked at him. “I’m the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.”

Eren gaped at him for a few moments, and Levi got a close up view of him turning several shades of red; the way the colours traveled down his neck and seemed to collect in the tips of his ears was certainly interesting. “Um. Can we start this conversation again?”

It was going to be a long year.


	13. Erwin/Eren Modern Beach AU

It was New Year’s Eve.

The beach was crowded from sunup, and it was one of the most lucrative days of the year for Erwin. His beach-side bar and grill served beer, cockails, ice cream, and fish and chips from about ten in the morning ‘til late’ all through the summer.

Mike did the cooking. Occasionally he’d take advantage of a lull to go and stand under one of the public showers nearby and cool off before shaking himself like a dog and heading back to the kitchen.

Mike had never left the beach, but Erwin had spent several long, boring years in a suit and tie, making enough money to come back and open the unimaginatively named ‘Mike’s on the Beach.’ Mike was a better name than Erwin; Erwin sounded like someone who did your taxes. For a while, Erwin was someone who did taxes.

Now his blonde hair was sun-bleached even blonder, and he wore nothing more formal than board shorts and a variety of Hawaiian shirts as he spent his days behind the bar. He doubted his colleagues would recognise him; he didn’t recognise himself sometimes, this bronzed, smiling stranger.

Summer brought the tourists, and with it a new crop of temporary regulars for Erwin to get to know. This year his favourite was Eren, a student on a gap year escaping the winter in sunny Australia. He’d come for Mike’s homemade water ices (recipe a secret) and stayed, well, Erwin wasn’t sure why he kept coming back. But a day didn’t go by without his cheerful greeting. Erwin knew he shouldn’t get attached; summer always ended, but he was so bright, so open, and sometimes he didn’t order anything at all, just dropped by to ask how Erwin’s day was going before he headed out on a day trip or a diving tour. Erwin was getting attached to that smile and messy hair.

It was New Year’s Eve, so of course he was there, although Erwin could spare him little more than a smile.

The sun set on the last day of the year, and bonfires burned brightly on the sand. Eren had been there with his friends since mid-afternoon, drinking beer and ordering bowls of chips.

Erwin called last orders for the grill at nine, before Mike dropped dead of exhaustion. They both knew they’d be back at it tomorrow morning, serving up hangover-busting breakfasts to the late revellers. Erwin usually caught up on sleep about a week later.

The bar started to empty sometime after that, and Erwin paused at Eren’s table.

“You’ll want to get moving soon.”

“Why?” Eren asked.

“You can’t see the fireworks from here.”

“Oh. Does that mean you don’t get to see them?” Eren asked.

Erwin shrugged. “Someone has to tend the bar.” Erwin actually enjoyed the break; he had to get right back to it once the fireworks were over, after all.

As the appointed time crept closer and the bar emptied Mike took his leave as well; sometimes he walked up to the headland to watch the fireworks and sometimes he had a nap. Erwin wished him a happy new year as he left.

Erwin collected empty glasses. He cleared the table Eren and his friends had been sitting and and sighed, a bit wistfully. He didn’t tell himself he was too old to pine over his customers; it was simply to be expected, although he suspected everyone assumed he and Mike were together.

“I’m right here.” Erwin jumped slightly and turned to see Eren, crossing the sandy boards of the bar. He smiled at Erwin’s doubtlessly bemused look. “I’m not going anywhere. I just went out for a piss.”

“You’ll miss the fireworks.”

Eren shrugged. “I’ve seen fireworks before. It didn’t seem right for you to be here by yourself at midnight.” Erwin didn’t keep a clock at the bar, and he had no idea how close the appointed hour actually was.

“Would you like a drink then? On the house. We can toast the new year.”

“Yeah.” Eren grinned and hopped up on one of the bar stools.

“Same again?” Erwin asked.

“Yeah. I’m really much of a drinker.”

“I’ve noticed. Most of the time you’re here for the ice blocks.”

“They’re really good,” Eren said. “But that’s um,” he looked away and then back again. “Not why I’m here.”

Erwin found himself getting lost in Eren’s eyes as he put the bottles on the bar between them. He didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth to speak when a great cheer rose up from the headland and the distant sound of fireworks rolled down the beach.

“Happy New mumph-” He was interrupted as Eren leaned across the bar and pressed his lips against Erwin’s mouth, his eyes screwed shut. Erwin let his own drift closed as he tilted his head into the kiss, and cupped the back of Eren’s head with his hand.

The cheering had stopped, although the fireworks went on, when they finally pulled apart. Eren smiled at him, a gleaming, crooked grin.

“Happy New Year, Erwin,” he breathed.

This year, there were fireworks at Mike’s on the Beach.


	14. Levi/Hange Modern Teenager AU

“Don’t listen to them. Don’t you _ever_ listen to them.”

And you don’t listen to them, because why would you? Because when you’re seventeen, and your gender is a wordless howl of confusion, and your parents don’t really recognise you any more, and you know you’re a genius and your marks are still shit and sometimes you think you could save the world if it would just _stop and let you think_.

And you have a friend. Just one. And he gives no fucks, not for anything except the important things. He answers his phone, always. He calls you shit-for-brains and he patiently helps you try on pronouns for accuracy. He scares people the way you do. He never apologises. You can see when he’s truly sorry.

And if he says not to listen to those cassette tapes you unearthed one dusty afternoon while you looked for silverfish in his closet because something was eating his old books. Why would you? What would it matter?

It could have been evidence of embarrassing music tastes. It could have been something his parents left behind. It could have been evidence that they faked the moon landing- why is it on cassette? Who uses cassettes? You wonder.

You don’t listen to them.

For a couple of months.

And then he’s away at some martial arts competition and you’re bored and lonely and you just walk into his bedroom like you always do because he gave you the key and his foster folks don’t mind, and you flop down on his bed and you’ve read all his comic books and you’ve got all his music copied onto your own phone, and you’re seventeen and doing dumb things is what seventeen is for.

And it wasn’t an accident that you’d dug out the old cassette player in the garage and dusted it off and stuck it in your bag and you sit cross-legged on the floor, refusing to meet your own eyes in the mirror on the back of the door and you just-

Click it into place, and you press play.

And you listen to them all, curled up on the floor and your glasses fog up and you shiver because how can you hide it? You couldn’t possibly hide something like this from him. Maybe he won’t want to be your friend after this, and you think, maybe you don’t want to just be his friend after this.

And you listen for his footsteps and wait and whisper, “I didn’t know you could sing, Levi.”


	15. (nsfw) Levi/Eren/Erwin Royal Bodyguard AU: Downfall

This love would be your downfall, he found himself thinking, and mine, and so I will not speak of it, nor even look in your direction longer than I am expected to.

It was not the way he’d envisaged his life to go. He spent long years guarding Grisha’s back and when the old emperor had finally died of an illness he himself could not cure in a far-flung province, Levi had dutifully returned to the capital to take his place guarding the next generation; the young emperor, Eren.

Eren was not the healer his father was, but he brought energy and optimism and sheer pigheadedness to the task of running the empire. Levi had expected him to be selfish and thoughtless in the way youths often were, but he took good advice, including Levi’s own, and despite a fierce temper could always be reasoned with. All good things.

He also had beautiful eyes and a brilliant smile and smelled like a summer afternoon and Levi had spent the past six months reluctantly and irrevocably falling in love with him which was _not_ a good thing. The Emperor, for his part, regarded Levi with a kind of delighted awe, and treated him with respect. He’d grown up hearing stories of his exploits from a time when the empire wasn’t so peaceful, and Levi knew he admired him.

Which didn’t mean His Majesty wanted to sit on his cock or anything like that, despite the stray thoughts that flitted through Levi’s mind whenever Eren walked out of the bathing chambers half clad and still wet enough that Levi was torn between the desire to take a towel to his head properly and the desire to just take him.

He wasn’t really worried about Eren finding out. He had a face that gave very little away and maybe Eren would come to read him in time but by then surely this infatuation would have died.

“I want to speak to him,” Eren was saying to the page, who ducked her head and darted off.

Levi was only listening to the chatter with half an ear. His job was to watch for threats, not listen to gossip. He found these sorts of functions pretty tedious, and he was always obliged to wear dress uniform, but they were no hardship either, and he scanned the crowd at ease, with his back to the wall.

The page returned a few minutes later, a tall blonde man in tow. Levi seemed to recall he was one of those foreign industrialists, here to talk shop with the local industrialists, and he wondered why Eren wanted to talk with him.

He bowed politely and Eren bestowed a smile on him and invited him to the balcony. Levi moved to follow and Eren paused.

“We should be fine, Levi. Unless you’re concerned about rooftop assassins?” His eyes were bright and his cheeks slightly flushed.

Levi allowed himself only the slightest blink and he bowed and stepped back. He’d never seen that look on Eren’s face before. The stranger looked him up and down briefly as he followed Eren outside, and Levi gave him a cold, unblinking stare in return.

Levi watched them talk in the moonlight, lounging against the stone railing. Two days later he accompanied them on an incognito journey about the countryside. He kept silent vigil while they strolled in the gardens and took tea in the Emperor’s chambers.

He looked away when Erwin Smith lent across the table and kissed the young emperor, but he could not ignore it.

“I take it you don’t approve,” Eren said, once Erwin had left. He lounged back against the cushions, smiling faintly. The sun was setting and the lamps hadn’t yet been lit but Levi could see his eyes shine.

“My opinion isn’t relevant, but should you choose to pursue this individual it will cause you problems.”

“I’m not stupid. He’s a terrible choice of consort. A foreigner and completely politically powerless. They’ll call him a spy.”

“He might be one.”

Eren frowned at him but didn’t chastise him for speaking out. He never did.

“You don’t know him,” he said softly. “He wants to change the world, make good things happen. And he’s come here to do it. We should be proud he’s chosen us.”

“Regardless of his merits, this is unwise.”

Eren sagged and looked out at the garden. “I’m barely twenty, can’t I be a little unwise sometimes?”

“Not while you’re Emperor.”

“Fuck the Emperor,” Eren said. “Sometimes I wish I was your squire. Do you have a squire?”

“No.”

“You should. Someone to make your tea in the morning and polish your boots at night. Make sure you get your meals, and rub your shoulders when they get sore.”

“That sounds more like a wife-” Levi nearly bit his tongue as he realised what he’d just said. Fuck. “What’s this got to do with Erwin Smith?” he said a bit more loudly. He was not above trying to misdirect his master.

Eren sighed, “It would be nice to be _his_ wife.”

Levi pressed his lips together.

Erne tilted his head and looked at him, “Not appropriate thoughts for an Emperor?”

“What would the Empress Dowager say?”

“Sorry, probably. She followed her heart and married an Emperor, and in doing so ensured I can’t follow mine.”

Assured that Eren understood the situation, Levi said nothing further, watching the servants light the lamps in the garden in silence.

For the next few weeks, Levi kept his own counsel, and Eren kept seeing Erwin. He enlisted Levi’s help in covering for him, and he lied and misdirected dutifully as the lovers spent stolen hours talking or riding in Erwin’s motor car or retiring to Eren’s chambers and Levi did not think of them further.

“This cannot go on!” Levi snapped eventually. “I am running out of excuses and people are _talking_.”

“Mother really likes him.” They were in Eren’s office, Levi glowering at him across the desk as Eren rolled a paperweight across a stack of papers. “She says he’s a gentleman.”

“Your Majesty-”

“Ouch.” Eren hated it when Levi used his titles in private. “I’ve been thinking about it, okay? I have a possible solution.” His gaze flicked up to meet Levi’s and looked away again. “Replace the truth with a close lie. But it will, uh, require your cooperation.”

That wasn’t what Levi wanted to hear.

“Spit it out,” he said roughly, like he was talking to someone below him. He didn’t like the way Eren was hunching his shoulders, like a supplicant not the most powerful person in the country. It made him uneasy.

“We could pretend he is your lover, not mine.”

“Wha-what?”

“No one would think twice of him staying late and leaving early. Your rooms are near mine, and you’re not, uh, seeing anyone else right now, right?” Eren looked at him and bit his lip.

“Is this an order?” Levi finally managed to ask. “This isn’t part of my duties.”

“No. I’m asking you, Levi. Begging, really. I’ll give you anything you want, just name it. He said you’d say no, probably.” Eren shrugged. “I feel so safe with him, Levi. As safe as I feel with you. He tries so hard not to make things difficult for us.”

He didn’t know, Levi realised. He had no idea that Levi could deny him nothing. And so he agreed to pretend to be with the lover of the man he loved.

Erwin…wasn’t so bad really. He seemed terribly surprised that Levi had agreed and they sat down over tea to swap life stories so they could answer accurately should one be asked about the other. He’d now walk in openly, going to Levi’s rooms instead of Eren’s. They took prominent walks around the city, Eren safely guarded by soldier named Mikasa who Levi had selected specifically for the job.

Erwin was awkward in his manner at first and the first time he heard Levi speak unconstrained by public protocol he was utterly taken aback. And then he’d grinned and said, “I can see why His Majesty likes you.”

Eventually they grew to refer to Eren by his name when talking in the third person. Erwin imported expensive teas and never failed to be grateful for Levi’s cooperation. He thought Levi’s jokes were amusing. He left clothes in Levi’s room; it was part of the deception but he kept them neatly folded and none of them were ever dirty. He never talked of the intimacy he had with Eren; he sensed their relationship was an unwelcome subject and he referred to it as little and as circumspectly as possible in Levi’s presence.

And he loved Eren. It was painful how much he loved Eren. A couple of months in and Levi could recognise the moments when he remembered who his lover was and the sheer surprise on his face. It hadn’t been easy for him either, as he had his own politics to deal with, a family that wanted him to marry well, and an empire of his own demanding attention and constant telegrams and trips to the nearest telephone.

He managed, but he told Levi he’d give it all up if he had to for Eren.

Eren probably could have done a lot worse, Levi thought. He could live with this he supposed.

One night they’d gone to some shitty cafe near the canals and the plates had been cleared and they drank the last of the wine and watched the moon reflecting off the water and Erwin spoke.

“You love him.”

And Levi hated him so little, and knew Eren loved him so much, that he only bowed his head and didn’t reply.

~~

Eren heard Erwin come in, shutting the door behind him. He could tell him and Levi apart easily; Erwin was louder and slower, less certain of himself in these richly appointed rooms. Levi never hesitated, his footsteps crisp.

Eren had his arms folded over the back of a chair, and was looking at the lanterns burning low in the garden. He could see his mother’s rooms from here, but her windows were dark. Only the guards and late-working scribes would be awake at this hour.

Erwin crossed the room and sat on the floor next to his chair. Eren dropped his hand to his head and ruffled his blonde hair, so rare in this country. Like gold.

“What’s wrong?” Erwin asked, turning his head and kissing Eren’s wrist.

“I’m feeling lonely,” the emperor said.

Erwin smiled and sat back, beckoning Eren down and Eren went, sliding off the chair with a rustle of robes, into Erwin’s arms, arranging himself in Erwin’s lap. He curled up like a child, wrapping his arms around Erwin’s neck.

“We used to sit out here a lot in the evening,” Eren said. “We’d just talk.”

“Levi,” Erwin breathed. He knew, of course. Eren couldn’t have kept it from him, a hopeless, childish love that burned eternally and unwavering even as Erwin filled his heart with fireworks and struck sparks off his skin and made him see stars.

His father had taught him; an emperor’s task is to love. To love his people, love the earth and mountains of his country, to love his family, to love those who would shed their blood and give their lives on his behalf, and he had been well loved in turn.

To Eren it was natural to love them both, and although Erwin had been surprised at first, he’d grown to understand, and he soothed Eren’s heartache as best he could. Levi was untouchable, unreadable. No matter how much Eren smiled at him, he’d never responded with any suggestion that he loved him as more than his Emperor.

“I hardly see him, it feels like. When you’re not here you’re out with him. I miss him.”

Erwin sighed, and cuddled Eren closer.

“I’m glad you could be friends at least,” he continued. “He needs more friends.”

“Mm.”

“I wonder what he does on these nights,” Eren mused.

“I think he trains in the barracks and then has a bath and goes to bed,” Erwin said. Eren envied him sometimes; the access he had to Levi. He could walk into his rooms at any time. Maybe he’d seen him sleeping even, although Eren suspected that was unlikely. “I’m sure he loves you,” Erwin said after a while.

“Of course he does,” Eren said. “He’s expected to.”

“I don’t mean like that.”

Eren pulled back and looked into Erwin’s eyes. “What do you mean?” He couldn’t help feeling a bit hopeful.

“All he needs is a push, I’m sure of it.”

“What sort of push?” Eren asked quietly, barely breathing the words.

“Maybe when he goes to his bath if we were already there.” Erwin’s long fingers trailed across Eren’s collarbones. “If he sees you like that, I can’t imagine he could resist. No one could.”

“You don’t mind?” Eren’s heart was pounding.

Erwin smiled, “No. For a start with the way things are I have to watch you both suffer and secondly I think it might be fun.”

Eren thought about it for a little while, and then he got to his feet and grabbed Erwin’s hand.

“Come on. How much time do we have?”

Eren had never been to the servants’ bathing rooms before. They were clean but Spartan, and when full there wouldn’t be a lot of privacy. They’d snuck in without seeing a soul, and it looked like they’d beaten Levi to it.

“What should we do?” Eren found himself whispering.

Erwin grinned. “Why not have a bath?”

Eren’s bath was marble whereas the ones here were little more than big wooden tubs, and after Erwin had filled one with hot water, Eren gingerly dis-robed and stepped into it. There were no fancy oils or soaps, but the damp wood had its own smell that wasn’t unpleasant, and it was a novelty to be able to see right through the water, like swimming in a hot spring.

It was nice, and was even nicer when Erwin stripped off his suit and joined him in the water.

Erwin sat back against the side of the tub and Eren crawled over him, kissing his stupidly handsome face as Erwin scooped up warm water and let it trickle down Eren’s back. Eren loved the way he forgot everything when he was in Erwin’s arms. It didn’t matter that he was Emperor, he could just be the beautiful greedy young man that Erwin always called him, taking and giving without regard to protocol.

So he’d completely forgotten why they were there in the first place when Levi walked into the room. Eren was straddling Erwin’s lap and grinning down breathlessly at him as he angled his hips forward, teasing him.

He didn’t register the familiar footsteps until they stopped, and he heard the sharp intake of breath behind him. Eren jumped and twisted his head around, feeling as guilty as if it had been a genuine accident.

Levi stared at him for one long, breathless moment. Eren could see his gaze dip down, looking at his chest, his hips, the rest was probably hidden below the edge of the bath. Back up again, to meet his eyes and Eren could see it, just for a moment, sheer _hurt_ and then Levi turned and walked out.

Eren worked his jaw uselessly. This hadn’t worked at all. He was leaving. What if it was for good?

He felt Erwin’s hands on his shoulders. “Go.”

Eren went. He stumbled out of the bath, not caring that it wasn’t really appropriate for the emperor to run down the corridors in the middle of the night dripping wet and naked.

Levi was walking back to his quarters and he turned slightly as he heard Eren’s footsteps behind him.

Eren didn’t slow down; he launched himself at Levi and wrapped his arms around him.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t go, don’t go,” he mumbled.

“Your Maj- Eren. You’re naked. It’s not appropriate that I see.” Levi was untying his own robes now and trying to struggle out of them with Eren still clinging to him. “Take mine.”

“I wanted you to see,” Eren said.

Levi’s hands stilled. “Why?”

“Well, I thought it was obvious,” Eren mumbled. “It was Erwin’s idea. He said if you saw me you’d uh.” He started to run out of words. “I hoped you’d, you know, notice me a little. Uh. Because I really, really-” He’d let Levi go by this point and Levi shrugged out of his robe and draped it around Eren’s shoulders and holy fuck he was naked underneath (of course he was he was going to have a bath, after all) and Eren wasn’t sure where to look and could only make feeble approximations of words.

Levi tugged the robe closed over Eren’s chest, and kept his hands in the fabric for a few moments. He sighed and looked up into Eren’s face and Eren managed a sickly smile. Well, at least he’d told him now.

“This makes everything worse,” he muttered, and then he leaned up and kissed him.

Eren was stunned into immobility for a few moments and then for the second time he put his arms around his faithful guard and kissed him back.

“We’re not alone,” Levi said calmly, when Eren pulled back. He turned sharply but it was only Erwin, a towel around his waist and a faint smile on his lips.

“Should I go home?” he asked.

Eren tightened his grip on Levi’s arm a fraction and glanced at him.

“It’s fine,” he said. “Probably. I’m going to have a bath.”

“There’s one ready right now,” Erwin said.

“Were you clean when you got in?” Levi asked, with narrowed eyes.

“Yes.”

“Fine. Are you coming, Eren?”

Eren hooked his arm through Levi’s in answer and stretched out his free hand for Erwin’s. He rather thought he would be.


	16. Levi/Eren Wingfic Bodyguard AU: It Wasn't a No

A light sprinkle of warm rain roused Eren from his doze. Even though it stopped as suddenly as it had started he put his tablet safely back into his bag and blinked up at a glowing grey sky framed by leaves. He’d been gone for two hours now and he was sure his family would have people looking for him. They had to be looking in the wrong places at least because he couldn’t see another soul from his vantage point among the trees of the huge park.

  
He didn’t like the idea of hanging around getting damp, however, and he was starting to get hungry. He could, he supposed, go home.

  
Go home and get yelled at. He was nineteen not nine; but the kidnapping attempts that had been made when he was younger had spooked his parents. Well, he couldn’t blame them. But that was years ago; Grisha’s work was everywhere now, and trying to get to him was almost pointless, unless someone wanted half-arsed revenge for…for what? Saving a whole lot of lives? Gutting the pharmaceutical companies?

  
Eren shouldered his bag, brushed the grass of his jeans and trotted down the slope. Maybe he’d get some dumplings.

  
Something caught the corner of his eye and when he looked up he saw a winged figure gliding high above him. One of those guys huh? Kind of rare to see one, he thought, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glare and the spits of rain, looking through his fingers. They had their own communities and currency and in the modern world no one called them angels any more. They called themselves Flock.

  
Pretty cool, Eren thought.

  
And then Eren had the uncomfortable sense he’d been spotted, for the figure folded its wings and dived right at him. Eren’s stomach lurched, and suddenly his memories of men with guns and being bundled into a car returned to him and before he’d had time to think he was running. He pelted down the grassy slope, his first instinct to get out the front gate and lose himself in the streets. He didn’t dare look back but he could imagine his pursuer closing in on him, silently. Some animal response made him abruptly swing to the side and he heard a solid thud and something hit the grass behind him.

  
No joke then; he was being hunted. He snatched a terrified look over his shoulder and his gaze was met by an expressionless, broad-shouldered Flock dressed in a black shirt and jeans. His wings were already unfolding again as he braced himself for flight. Eren kept running.

  
Adrenaline pumped through him and it was almost like his feet weren’t touching the ground. He made a beeline for the fence, to hell with trying to get to the gate; he’d never make it. There were trees along the fence line and he couldn’t see the sky when he reached them. He ran at the nearest one, scrabbling up the bark abrading his hands as he reached for the lowest branch.

  
He hauled himself into the tree and peered up through the foliage. The skies looked clear. Where had he gone?

  
“Should I call the fire department?” a deep, amused voice asked him.

  
Eren looked down. The Flock was looking up at him, arms folded, wings back. Eren could get a good look at them now; folded back they were taller than the man himself was, and his plumage was a dark grey, lightening at the tip. Eren had seen pictures but hadn’t actually met Flock before. He was stunned for a moment or two, fascinated and a little awestruck.

  
“Eren?”

  
The use of his name brought him back down to earth. Shit. He still had to escape, and under the trees the Flock couldn’t get in the air, so he’d bought himself a bit of time.

  
“Leave me alone.”

  
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

  
That was enough for Eren, he scrambled up the branch a bit further and launched himself at the fence. His hands caught the brick edge and he hauled himself up and over. Dropping down the other side, he was sure he caught an exasperated sigh.

  
He had thirty seconds probably in which he couldn’t be seen. Run or hide? Nowhere to hide. Eren ran.

  
If he could get to a subway station he’d be fine, but the park was on a major bus route instead. No use. The Flock could just follow the bus. So he ran, his breath burning in his throat as he made for side streets, trying to take a winding route hoping to lose the Flock among the buildings.

  
If he could make it into a mall he’d probably be okay too. The Flock wouldn’t be allowed to fly in there. He consulted his mental map of the area and changed direction. He just had to get across an arterial road and he’d be safe. He could call the cops or even his dad.

  
He sprinted across the road, hearing the screech of brakes next to him. He turned his head just in time to see the truck bearing down on him.

  
The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and he went flying before landing with a painful thud on the concrete pavement, something warm and heavy on top of him. It was dark, the sky was blocked out almost entirely and he realised he was looking up at a pair of spread grey wings.

  
He was pinned, caught, and, determined to sell his life dearly, Eren tried to wriggle free. He got one hand free and swung his fist at the Flock.

  
The Flock scowled and Eren’s fist thudded into his palm as he reached up and caught the blow next to his cheek.

  
“Eren, stop squirming.” He changed his grip, to Eren’s wrist, pinning it against the ground. “I work for your father.”

  
Eren ceased trying to get the right angle to knee him in the crotch and paused.

“Really?”

  
“Yeah.” The Flock looked at him for a few moments and when Eren relaxed he sat up and reached into his pocket and took out an ID card; all of Grisha’s employees had one. Eren had one too; it got him into the house. “I’m Levi. I’m to keep an eye on you but.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I was told you liked leading your bodyguards on a merry chase so I was going to wait until you ran out of breath, but I think I overdid it.”

  
Eren gaped at him.

  
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  
“Oh.” Levi was still sort of sitting on him, and as he stood up he folded his wings back. Eren stared, fascinated by the way they moved.

  
“Are you okay?” He held out his hand. Eren looked at it for a moment and reached out. Levi hauled him to his feet.

  
“Yeah.” He still felt shaky, his heart pounding. “Sorry about all this trouble.” He didn’t normally apologise to his bodyguards but Levi was different. Maybe it was the wings; it was like he’d blown in from another world and Eren wasn’t sure he was worthy.

  
“I enjoyed it,” Levi said. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

  
“Really?” He had no idea why, but it made him a bit happy to hear it.

  
“You have quite a reputation at the agency. I wanted to see if you were a challenge.” He smiled, and Eren’s heart thumped. “So if you want to run off again, be my guest.”

  
“Really?” Eren grinned, “You probably shouldn’t say things like that.”

  
“You going to report me?”

  
Eren shook his head.

  
“Well then. I’m going to let your parents know I’ve found you.”

  
“Do I have to go back?”

  
“You decide where you go, not me.”

  
“Your place,” Eren said quickly.

  
“What?” Levi looked startled and then he raised an eyebrow. “Just what do you think I was hired for?”

  
Eren shrugged, “It was worth a try?”

  
“Maybe some other time.”

  
It wasn’t a no.

  
Eren assured the assembling crowd that he was fine while Levi spoke on his phone, presumably calling off the search. Eren knew he should be annoyed that his father had hired yet another bodyguard, but as he watched the edges of Levi’s wings ripple in the breeze he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. He gazed at the back of Levi’s neck and the slope of his shoulders and the way his jeans clung to his legs and wondered if he really should feel a tiny bit grateful.

  
Nah, fuck it. He wasn’t going to be tamed by handsome face and a pair of wings. He waited until Levi was looking the other way and quickly slipped into the crowd.

  
He didn’t have a destination in mind, but he was still hungry, and he moved swiftly into the mall, seeking the foodcourt, keeping his head down and trying to put as many people as possible between him and Levi.

  
He was trying to decide whether to get sushi or a burger when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He jumped, and spun around to meet Levi’s unimpressed gaze.

  
“Are you even trying?” he asked.

  
“I was hungry,” Eren found himself replying. “How did you find me?”

  
“I’m good, that’s how.”

  
I’ll bet, Eren thought. He was going to like him, he thought. None of his other guards had ever really played along; to them he was a nuisance, not a challenge.

  
“This is going to be really boring for you, you know. I’m pretty sure no one wants to kidnap me any more.”

  
“I’ll find some way to fill in the time.”

  
“Do you like sushi? I’ll pay.”

  
“I do but I don’t really fit at sushi trains.” He gestured to his wings.

  
Which is how they ended up back in the park, eating takeaway bento boxes underneath one of the trees. Levi’s wings were partly resting on the grass either side of him. He said it was perfectly comfortable when Eren asked him about it.

  
Eren had nearly finished his lunch when a roll of thunder announced the main attraction, to which the earlier sprinkle had just been a prelude.

  
“Fucking hell,” Levi muttered, as a wall of water swept across the park. It was so swift all they could do was stare at it. Eren crammed the rest of his sushi into his mouth, prepared to make a break for it when he felt something brush his shoulder and the light darkened. He looked up.

  
“Oh,” he said softly, as he realised Levi had raised his wings over them sheltering them as the first drops of water started to splatter down through the leaves. “They’ll get wet,” he said.

  
“So? I do shower, you know.”

  
“R-right.” Eren edged a bit closer to him and resisted the urge to reach out and touch the feathers. “Your not really much like the other guys Dad hired,” Eren said softly, looking at Levi’s face.

  
Levi looked up from his lunch. “That’s because I’m actually here to kidnap you.”

  
It took Eren about five seconds to realise he was joking. “I’d let you.”

  
Levi nearly choked on his tamago mentai. “Fucking hell, Eren. You’re going to be trouble.”

  
Eren thought it was pretty cute.

  
“You could carry me off to your hideout.”

  
“I’m not carrying you anywhere.”

  
“You carried me out of the front of a speeding truck.”

  
“It wasn’t speeding, you ran out in front of it like an idiot and I didn’t carry you I tackled you. Do you flirt with all your bodyguards? As a distraction tactic it’s shit.”

  
“No. I can’t flirt with anyone because I always have a big bald guy in a suit looking over my shoulder who’ll probably tell Dad everything.”

  
Levi sighed, looking a bit sympathetic. “It’s not part of my contract to report back to your father unless you’re in physical danger.”

  
Eren sat up, and his head briefly brushed the underside of Levi’s wing before he raised it.

  
“Are you serious? You’re not going to tell him. What if I stay over at someone’s house?”

  
“You’re legal, and I’ll respect your privacy.”

  
“What if I go to a gay bar?”

  
“I don’t care. But I’m gonna go in with you to make sure you’re okay.”

  
“What if I cut all my classes?”

  
“You’re at college; that’s practically to be expected.”

  
“What if I go drinking? Ha. That’s not legal.”

  
Levi sighed. “I ain’t gonna buy you booze but I doubt it’ll do you much harm.”

  
“What if I use his credit card to buy a new wardrobe?”

  
“How would I even know?”

  
“What if I’m caught speeding-”

  
“Eren! You are not going to do any of these things. We both know that. It’ll be fine. I’m not going to tell your dad anything.”

  
Eren took a deep breath. “What if I kissed my bodyguard?”

  
“What-”

  
Eren squeezed his eyes shut and leaned in. Levi seemed frozen in surprise, his lips unresponsive against Eren’s mouth for a few moments. Eren felt the warm wash of breath across his cheek as he exhaled through his nose. Eren pulled away and realised Levi’s wings had practically closed around them.

  
“You little shit,” Levi breathed.

  
“So are you gonna say anything?” He could see water trickling down the back of Levi’s neck, dripping off the ends of his hair; his wings couldn’t wrap around his back after all.

  
“Probably not,” he admitted. “It’s not like anyone can see.”

  
“Can I touch your wings?” Eren asked, leaning in again.

“Maybe some other time.”

  
It wasn’t a no.


	17. (nsfw) Erwin/Mike Canonverse Crack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if we’re all wrong and Erwin actually has a micro penis?

There are no secrets among trainees; none. Erwin had to decide he didn’t really care all that much; he was intimidating in most other respects and it he recognised a sense of relief in people that he wasn’t absolutely perfect. There was nothing to be done about it, and defending himself would only open it up to further comment. Ignoring it was best; there were more important things to worry about.

But fuck he got sick of it sometimes; whenever they had booze and free time _someone_ would mention it eventually as they sat around the barracks. 

Mike had the opposite problem. He was fucking enormous and _that_ caused comment as well. Mike didn’t say much; whenever the topic came up he hid behind his hair and pressed his lips together. Everyone seemed to assume the mere existence of his oversized dick gained him access to a world of carnal delights the others could only dream of, which was ridiculous as far as Erwin was concerned, because he was clearly a huge virgin, struck almost dumb by the mere topic.

Until the day he _wasn’t_ struck dumb and with a kind of resigned exasperation declared that Erwin’s was the only dick he’d even consider putting up his arse _obviously_ _._ Erwin wished he could tunnel under the Walls and escape as the conversation reached an incredulous crescendo around them.

Nothing lasts forever and that includes excruciating conversations among tipsy teenagers but Erwin did not wish to repeat the experience and he took the first opportunity to corner Mike alone and tell him that while he appreciated the sentiment he didn’t have to go out of his way to say things like that and that it didn’t bother him.

Mike hid behind his hair, looking down at his feet and rubbing the back of his neck.

“It slipped out,” he admitted.

“What?”

“Well, I meant it. You know.”

No, no he didn’t know. But Erwin decided it was worth finding out.


	18. Armin/Annie Pirate AU: Loop it Over: Pull it Tight

For all his desire to go to sea, Armin was quite doing so as a hostage wasn’t the way he wanted to go about it. Eren fought back, of course he did, despite their whispered entreaties to just go along with it or risk getting tossed to the sharks.

They weren’t going to toss Eren to the sharks. As soon as they’d discovered he was the son of Grisha Jaeger they’d stopped beating him up, which seemed to make Eren even angrier. He was locked up for now, stewing in the briny heat below decks somewhere. Armin didn’t envy him, even though he and Mikasa had been put to work.

They kept a close eye on Mikasa; they’d seen her fight, and they kept her well clear of anything that could be a weapon. Armin had told her to obey for now; unlike Eren they were no one of importance and if they made too much trouble they’d just be thrown overboard, and so she mechanically scurried up and down the masts under the close eye of the pirates.

Armin, well, he’d spent the first day being sick. His fair skin was now a deep red, and after some discussion they’d let him sit in the shade and mend their fishing nets; even pirates supplemented their stolen supplies with whatever the sea could provide. He knew they were underestimating him, and he made sure not to tip them off. He didn’t let on that he could navigate by the stars, and was doing his best to work out exactly where they were and where they were heading.

Mostly he was ignored. Every so often someone would come over and check on his work, usually leaving again with an eyeroll or a disgusted look to see little he’d managed to get done. They couldn’t accuse him of laziness, however; he worked his fingers raw.

“You’re not very good at that.”

Armin looked up to see one of the pirate girls standing over him. She hadn’t spoken to him before, but he recognised her. She was short and blonde, her hair tied up in a scarf and a single gold ring dangling from her right ear. Most of the other pirates seemed to give her a wide berth; Armin had been observing them all pretty closely, working out relationships and personalities, looking for weaknesses to exploit if need be.

He hadn’t really seen any in her.

“I’ve never had to mend a net before,” Armin said, calmly and honestly, squinting up to look at her against the brilliant blue sky.

“What do you normally do all day?” she scoffed. Armin was on his guard; was he being pumped for information?

“I read books,” he said.

“Oh.” She looked away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The expected follow-up question didn’t come. Maybe she didn’t have an ulterior motive. Armin regarded her warily, and when she caught him staring he looked back down at the net spread across his lap. She sighed and crouched down in front of him. “You’re not gonna be any good if no one shows you how,” she said.

Armin watched her nimble fingers unpick and then reconnect the snarled nets, so fast he could barely follow. He tried to copy and she showed him again, more slowly this time. They bent over the net; loop it over, pull it tight. She smelled like sweat and salt, and her hands were calloused and tar-stained. She had the horizon in her eyes.

Armin fumbled, taking a deep breath and trying again. When he looked up he realised she was watching his face, not his fingers. He ventured a smile, and she frowned and turned her attention to the nets.

“Got it now?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Thank you, um.”

“Annie.”

“I’m Armin.”

“I have to go.” She stood up abruptly and walked back out into the sunlight.

Hypothetically, if the pirates did managed to evade the Recon Fleet Armin desperately hoped was out looking for them, it might not be so bad joining a pirate crew, he thought. There were definitely worse fates.

They let Eren out that evening.

Armin had managed to stay on deck long enough to see the first few stars, and by now he was willing to hazard a guess as to where they were going.

“I have a plan,” Armin told them quietly. “And it relies on you, Eren.” But it couldn’t be enacted just yet.

They had time to talk, sometimes. Annie would bring him his rations and Armin didn’t know what to say. He’d venture some piece of information about life onshore but she didn’t seem to care that much. He couldn’t ask her where they were going or what their plans were, and she didn’t seem to have any idea how to start a conversation either. Maybe it was wishful thinking but part of him thought she might want to.

So he asked her to teach him to tie better knots.

He did learn that she’d been at sea most of her life, that she’d sailed with her father although she didn’t say who he was. She wasn’t a bad person. She didn’t seem to want the prisoners to suffer.

Mikasa seemed sceptical about this. Eren didn’t care; he wanted the pirates to be eliminated so that people could be free to explore the ocean.

But pirates were people too, Armin thought, his head craned back as he watched Annie skip and slither among the rigging high above his head, the sunlight gleaming off her earring. They were people and already free.

She smiled when he mastered a new knot. He smiled too, because then she’d sit in front of him and teach him the next one. One of her friends, the big blond one, teased her about it once; trying to make a sailor out of a sow’s ear, he’d said and she’d glared at him, but hadn’t been able to come up with a comeback.

Armin was sorry about that.

He was sorry also when Bertholt spotted the green sail on the horizon. The pirates scrambled to evade, to make the most of the wind and tide.

Eren launched Armin’s plan into action; all of them counting that the pirate’s reluctance to kill him would hold as he launched himself at their captors, dividing their attention, Mikasa making a show of trying to calm him down and Armin-

Armin crouched hidden near the waterline, rubbing the grimy mirror he’d stolen on his shirt, listening to the uproar above and desperately hoping someone on board the pursuing ship would see his tiny reflected signal. He had no telescope to look for an answering sign, and he squinted into the blue haze, sending the message over and over until he heard footsteps coming and he pitched the piece of glass into the ocean and cowered as convincingly as he could.

Annie grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. They stared at each other in the gloom, Annie’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Prisoners are to be locked up until we’re clear of the Recon Fleet. Your friend is causing too much trouble,” Annie said.

“I understand.” He didn’t resist as she marched him away. He’d done all he could; he could only hope their rescuers would be waiting for them. He stared at the back of Annie’s head, and found himself hoping that she wasn’t determined to fight to the death if they were.


	19. Levi/Eren/Erwin Kingsman AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

“He didn’t shoot the dog,” Erwin said firmly, still fighting a losing battle to take his eyes off the young man standing to attention in front of him.

“He saved the fucking world, Erwin,” Levi said, the bandages that still swathed his head doing nothing to hide the smug, proud look on his face.

Eren’s whooping and fistpumping upon Erwin finally caving was not appropriate behaviour for a Kingsman but then neither was what they did afterwards.


	20. Levi/Eren Office AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

To Levi’s mortification, something of the anguish he felt at losing out on the last jam doughnut in the break room must have shown on his face, because that ridiculously enthusiastic intern squished it all out of shape tearing it in half and nearly got jam on the floor in the process.

“We can split it,” he said hopefully, offering Levi the less-mangled half with sticky fingers dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Disgusting, Levi thought, stretching out his hand with a polite smile, absolutely fucking disgusting and thank you very much.


	21. Erwin/Eren Firefighter AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

Eren held the ladder steady while Erwin carefully climbed down, the black and white kitten tucked safely in one arm.

“Kinda reminds me of your calendar picture, only with more shirt on,” Eren said brightly, and then his heart sank as his brain caught up with his mouth. That calendar was shot long before Eren had joined and the look on Erwin’s face suggested he was starting to suspect the truth; that it was still July 2012 in Eren’s room.


	22. Levi/Eren/Erwin Modern AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

“He literally blushed,” Erwin was explaining. “ He asked, ‘You’re uh…Mister Jaeger too?’ and I thought he was going to combust on the spot; that guy is so far in the closet it hurts.”

The doorbell rang and Eren grinned mischievously; their put-upon, innocent delivery boy hadn’t yet met the original owner of the name, after all.

“Delivery for…” Jean trailed off as a _third_ Mister Jaeger reached for the clipboard to sign.


	23. Erwin/Mike/Nile Modern AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

Erwin could drive to work, he knew, but it was more environmentally friendly to take public transport and provided important contact with other people and.

And it was snowing again.

Erwin took a deep breath and introduced himself and suggested that they might like to carpool, at least until spring.


	24. Gen meta fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

“You know, watching this makes me realise something about you that I didn’t really notice while we were living through it,” Erwin said softly.

“Oh?”

“You’re really fucking short, I mean, I’m sitting down and I’m nearly as tall as you are.”


	25. Levi/Eren Dragon Age AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

The assassin landed dead at Eren’s feet, an arrow through his neck, and an elf stepped out of the shadows, bow still drawn.

“You’re him, aren’t you, the one that’s supposed to save us all,” the stranger said.

Eren’s friends moved their hands a bit closer to their weapons, but Eren held his hand up; he had only one question: “Are you a romance option?”


	26. (nsfw) Levi/Eren Modern AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

“Don’t say package, don’t say package, _don’t_ say package,” Eren mumbled to himself as he walked up the familiar garden path. He rang the bell and there he was, as always, all perfect and edible and _nearly naked_ and Eren guessed he knew the contents of Mister Ackerman’s underwear drawer better than he himself did.

“Good morning, I need your packag- I mean you need to sign for those boxers, I mean, uh, I have a load for you- of stuff, that is, of uh, let me get my pen.”


	27. Levi/Eren Dilf Eren AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

When Mikasa said she’d found a boyfriend, Eren was sort of expecting another six-year-old, and he didn’t know what to make of the pale gent with the cheekbones and the eyes like storm-tossed skies she led him to.

“He’s _your_ boyfriend,” Mikasa explained exasperatedly when Eren didn’t get it.

The stranger smirked, “Maybe Daddy should buy me dinner first.”


	28. Levi/Eren/Erwin Bookshop AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

He asked me if I was hovering because I thought he couldn’t reach the top shelf and I panicked and told him it was because I thought he was hot,” Eren said, while Erwin frowned at him. “And then he gave me his number.”

Erwin was less than happy about customers hitting on his cute employee (even if Eren did technically start it) but once he actually clapped eyes on the man he started hovering himself; he really did look like he’d have trouble reaching that top shelf, after all.


	29. Levi/Eren/Erwin Chatroom AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

Eren sat frozen into immobility as Professor Smith set up his powerpoint slides, giving the class a glimpse of his desktop in the process. That had definitely been his own username he’d seen in the background chat window, the one he used in _that_ chatroom, no less. Eren’s reaction wasn’t as bad as guy at the front though, who made an incoherent exclamation and got abruptly to his feet before looking embarrassed and sitting down again, and as mortified as he felt, Eren couldn’t help but wonder what his username was.


	30. Jean/Eren Petshop AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

Jean was not cute covered in soap suds as he wrestled the golden retriever into the tub; it was definitely the dog. And it was definitely the kittens rolling around in their bedding, that were adorable, not the way Jean was smiling at them.

When Eren caught himself smiling sweetly while Jean let the python, an animal that frankly terrified Eren, wind its way around his arm, he realised he had a problem.


	31. Erwin/Levi Canonverse Coffee Shop AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the three sentence meme.

The kids go to the ocean. The old men stay home and drink coffee. They sit in the sun together, feeding sparrows on crumbs and think this might be the best of all possible worlds.


	32. Gen meta fic 2: I Don't Know What This Is

Eren sets his alarm for the last possible minute so while he’s scrambling to brush his hair and find a clean shirt the rest of the house is mostly awake. He can hear Reiner and his rottweiler clattering up the stairs, back from their morning run. Levi shaking the dust off his rug out on the balcony. He can hear music from Historia’s room and the weather report from Mike’s.

They assemble for breakfast and the sunlit kitchen is big enough for all of them, Petra offering to make tea, Ymir glowering until her coffee starts to take effect, Mikasa slicing fruit with elegant precision. And when they are fed and awake, they sit around the table and look a the day’s assignments.

“I’m working in a flower shop _again_?” Levi asks no one in particular.

“Just one?” Eren asks.

“One flower shop, three undefined office jobs, one auto repair, one coffee shop, one tea shop–yes finally–and a law firm.”

“Am I your boss?” Erwin asks innocently.

“Yes,” Levi scowls. “One of these days I will be your boss and you are going to suffer.”

“I already suffer,” Erwin says. “Have you seen the number of classes I have to teach today? University isn’t so bad but when you lot are in high school you’re a bunch of brats.”

Marco doesn’t mind being killed off so much; he practices his death scenes, and enjoys tugging at the audience’s heart strings. He gets really excited when he’s evil though, and usually drags Jean off to do that one first.

Armin regrets that he ever mentioned the damn ocean. “I only just got over my sunburn and last time I got stung by a jellyfish,” he says, his head resting on his pile of papers. He spends about eight months of the year at the ocean now. “You,” he looks up at Eren accusingly. “What are you doing today?”

“Uh, nothing exciting?” Eren tries, but he can’t fool Armin. “I’m a Formula One driver, an Olympic snowboarder, the frontman for three bands and I’m the new face of a fashion house.”

Armin thumps his head on the desk again.

“You die in this one, Eren,” Mikasa says quietly. “Canonverse. It’s just you and me, Levi.”

“Do you want to do that one first?” Levi asks kindly. “Get it out of the way?”

Levi’s stack of papers is almost as big as Eren’s. Eren sometimes feels overwhelmed, but Levi always sets a good example.


	33. Levi/Eren/Erwin High School AU: Everything is Shit (Except my Friendship with You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi realises he's run away from home.

Levi sat on the roof. Technically no one was supposed to be up here, but most of the teachers had gone home long ago, and he didn’t do anything stupid like hang over the edge. He could see soccer practice was wrapping up, although he couldn’t pick out Eren from the mass of young men gathered around the coach.

He flopped back against the brick, no longer caring to watch.

He wasn’t going home. Not to his uncle and his uncle’s terrifying fucking friends. Levi knew everyone thought he was fearless, but he wasn’t; he simply wasn’t afraid of the same things everyone else was.

He’d eaten the crackers he had in his bag ages ago, and he curled his arms around his knees. Once everyone finally left he’d find somewhere better to sleep; he doubted he’d be able to get in to the library, but from the roof he could get back into the main school building. There was a couch in the waiting room outside the office.

He wished he’d thought to bring more food though. He hadn’t really thought at all, just the worm of an idea that he was _not_ going back that had solidified into utter determination over the arc of the day. If he went back, something bad would happen. Something bad was going to happen anyway, probably.

Kenny said he was bad luck; look what had happened to his Mom.

Should have nicked the photograph. Stupid. Too late now.

Despite the chill in the evening breeze, Levi was actually nodding off when someone threw open the door to the rooftop and he jumped like a startled cat.

“Fuck!”

“I found him!” Eren hollered down the stairwell and Levi winced at the noise.

“Go away,” Levi said, settling back down again. He wasn’t really surprised that Eren ignored him, slinging his bag next to Levi’s, his soccer boots clattering on the concrete and sitting down next to him. He smelled like grass and fresh sweat. Should have been disgusting. Wasn’t.

Somehow, Eren didn’t seem to find him intimidating, or weird, or annoying. Levi had decided he didn’t mind, although he was sort of wondering when Eren would get tired of him.

“We should have looked here first.”

Levi tensed as Erwin joined them on the roof. So that’s who Eren had been shouting at. Who else? Erwin was the only one who’d remembered who Levi was when they’d met up again at high school, the only one who’d recognised him from before he’d left town. Levi hadn’t wanted to be recognised, but Erwin hadn’t made a big deal about it. He just kept talking to him.

Erwin sat on his other side and Levi scowled but didn’t complain because they were warm, after all.

“Were you watching practice?” Eren asked hopefully.

“No.”

“Oh.”

Erwin didn’t say anything, he just kept casting little glances in Levi’s direction every so often, but they were so slight Levi couldn’t call him out on it. They couldn’t stay here. The stars were coming out, and the lights on the oval went off.

“Don’t you have homes to go to?” Levi asked.

“Don’t you?” Erwin replied.

Levi pressed his lips together. Fuck.

Erwin looked worried and drew breath, presumably to ask Levi to _talk_ about it when Eren interrupted, throwing his weight against Levi’s side unexpectedly, making him rock against Erwin’s shoulder.

“Stay over with me,” Eren said.

“What?”

“Like a sleepover,” Eren grinned.

“What? Hey, wouldn’t it make more sense to say with me?” Erwin said.

“Pfft. Why?”

“I have a spare room.”

“It’s not a sleepover if you don’t share a room.”

“Well my room’s bigger.”

“We’re having burritos tonight.”

“We have a chef!”

“You also have lights out at ten.”

“I bet you haven’t cleaned your room in a month.”

“I cleaned it like, two, or three weeks ago.”

“We have a maid. She cleans every week.”

“Yeah and she uses that cleaner that smells of sick.”

“It does not! You’ve got a nosy sister.”

“Levi _likes_ Mikasa.”

“Levi likes me.”

During this ridiculous conversation Levi himself had curled further and further down around his knees, letting them argue of his head. He was scowling so hard he thought he might strain something in his forehead.

They were just.

So.

Fucking.

Stupid.

Levi pressed his lips together.

Fought it.

Snorted.

The other two fell silent.

He laughed. It felt a bit like crying. Erwin patted him on the back.

“Are you guys serious?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah? Why not?”

He felt like he could breathe again. Just a bit of time. Time to think.

“Thanks,” Levi muttered, for want of anything better.

“Yeah, but where are you gonna stay?” Erwin asked.

Levi looked at them. “Are you really arguing over that?”

Neither of them wanted to answer, making humming noises and looking away. They’re so fucking weird, he thought.

“Since he asked first, Eren,” Levi said, looking away from how Eren’s face brightened to Erwin. “Then you, cause I can’t just move in forever.”

“You totally could,” Eren declared.

Levi didn’t answer. His stomach growled and Erwin asked if he wanted to stop by the vending machines on the way home.

He didn’t have any money.

Erwin did. Eren said to treat him as well. Erwin said why should he. They decided arguing around him was better than falling behind or walking ahead.

Forever was impossible, nonsensical. But it wouldn’t be bad, Levi thought, as the door swung closed behind them.


	34. Levi/Eren Mermaid Noir AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They look out through the glass and dream of something better.

“Don’t get distracted,” Levi was told.

It was his first night on the job. Sunlight lingered in dirty streaks to the west when he rode the elevator up a hundred floors and made himself at home behind the bar. Beyond the glass walls the city gleamed and shimmered and at this distance it looked like a carpet of jewels, a sequinned velvet dress crumpled on the floor. Once he was set up he made a slow circuit of the club, examining the view expressionlessly, drinking it all in now so he wouldn’t care for it later.

As he watched he felt nothing more than a dull vibration as a helicopter rose from the lighted depths and drifted up to the roof only two floors above. He didn’t love this town.

The band arrived, and Levi went to his post, although the club remained fairly quiet for some hours. By ten it was starting to fill up, the elevator disgorging groups of beautiful women like flocks of parrots who clustered by the windows and ordered improbable, fruity drinks. Levi could instantly pick the civilians, with their slightly forced laughter. The danger was part of the attraction, after all. He watched the punks talking to the girls, attempting to subtly flash their tattoos. Oh, to be young and dumb.

He watched the waitresses dance through the crowds, bringing trays of food and drinks to curtained booths and private rooms where business was conducted. He kept his ears open. Took a break in the kitchen, gulping water but wound too tightly to feel like eating. He’d eat when he got back to ground level, when he’d survived, when no one had called him upstairs.

When he returned the lights and the haze gave the club an aquarium feel that he suspected was not accidental. The crowd had thickened but few were buying drinks. Ah. Showtime.

Levi took the opportunity to tidy up behind the bar, while the announcer wound up the crowd.

The crowd went ‘ooh’ and Levi rested his elbow on the bar and turned his attention to the tank in the centre of the room. He knew what to expect; it wasn’t exactly a secret, but nevertheless he found himself holding his breath as bass rolled across the room, and the star made his appearance.

Scraps of dark red and blue velvet, torn and rippling surged from the bottom of the tank, and then with a flick they parted and Levi realised it wasn’t cloth at all; it was his _tail_. It rippled, meters of faintly iridescent frills, swirling around him like silk, like smoke, framing a tanned, muscled torso that moved just as sinuously. He kept perfect time; he had to be able to feel the bass through the water.  

Levi looked away to serve someone and tried not to be distracted until the crowd shrieked and gasped and he snapped his head up to see the merman describe a perfect arc in the air above the top of the tank, over the heads of the crowd gathered around the top on the second level, the lights picking out the glittering drops of water for a breathless moment in which he seemed to hang suspended, hair flying, his face a mask of concentration before he dropped back into the water with barely a splash and beamed as his fanned his tail out again, swaying himself to the music while the applause landed on the surface of the water like rain.

The performance ended, but the merman stayed, resting his arms on the edge of the tank, talking to punters, or dancing idly under the water while he rested ahead of his next proper performance. At one point one of the waitresses walked over and said something to him and he vanished for an hour or so.

The crowds thinned towards dawn. This club didn’t keep curfew but the city was going to lose her invisibility cloak and she’d be revealed for what she really was, hard and dirty and grey and the punters didn’t want to see that. They wanted the magic to last. Levi was collecting glasses, picking them up from tables on the upper level, and the merman was on the surface of his tank, arms folded over the edge again, staring out over the city.

It must suck to live in a tank, Levi thought.

He’d gotten a better look at him since the show. He was older than Levi expected; he moved so fluidly, he’d assumed he’d be little more than a teenager, but his shoulders had the heft of an adult and there was only a bit of roundness in his cheeks. His eyes were green and gave nothing away. Levi had met them a couple of times, and he’d irritated himself by looking away first, like he’d been caught at something.  

“Hey.” Levi straightened up as the merman spoke. “Get me a drink.”

“No,” Levi said. He’d been told not to, not while the club was still open and the merman was technically performing. He didn’t think the merman expected a different answer, he was just testing, by the expression on his face.

Levi didn’t like being tested. Not by someone like him. He walked over, looking down into the merman’s face.

“Do you piss in that tank?” he asked.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” he replied, without missing a beat, and Levi found himself looking at his mouth, just for a moment.

“My mother’s dead.”

“Everyone’s mother’s dead in this city,” he said, and lazily flipped himself back, Levi unable to take his eyes off the neck, chest, stomach, hips, scales, frills and then he was gone, diving down with only the slightest splash that Levi suspected was deliberate given he had to step back to avoid getting it on his trousers.

The merman didn’t watch the sunrise that morning, but he did the next time.

Levi learned his name was Eren.

The tank was bigger than he realised. There were passages that went down to Eren’s 'apartment’ on the floor below, and up to the more exclusive levels of the club on the floors above. If something important was happening upstairs Eren wouldn’t perform but most nights he did. Levi learned his routine almost by heart, and usually managed to pause whatever he was doing to watch Eren fly for a moment.

They watched the sunrises, Levi with a tray full of dirty glasses for cover, but his work was exemplary the rest of the time, and by that point most of the supervisory staff were going home. All that was left was cleaning up and no one bothered them.

“You ever want to see the ocean?” Levi asked, watching the light carve out the canyons between the skyscrapers that had flattened under the cover of night.

“Why?” Eren asked. “It’s polluted as fuck.” He flicked a gaze at Levi, “And fish piss in it.”

“You’d be free.” Levi said. “Don’t you hate living in this tank?” It was something he couldn’t understand, and he’d avoided mentioning it until now, but he had to know. Eren didn’t act like a beast in a cage, but he was too smart, too strong, surely, to just accept it like the kept girls and boys Levi served drinks to on someone else’s tab.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Eren said, amused and reproachful. “You think you don’t live in a tank as well?” He nodded at the glass wall in front of them.

“I can leave the building. I can go anywhere I like.”

“Can you?” Eren asked. “No one leaves. Everyone is stuck here in this town, even those upstairs don’t dare leave in case someone takes what they think is theirs. You just fool yourselves into thinking you’re free.”

“I’m not fooled,” Levi said.

“I know.” Eren was looking at him, eyeing him in that solemn way that he did sometimes. “That’s why I like talking to you, Levi.”

I want you to be free, Levi thought a bit desperately, unable to look away from Eren’s eyes until someone started up a vacuum and the moment was lost.

“They know who you are, you know.” Days later. Eren had spent most of the night upstairs, and although the club had been quiet, helicopters had come and gone all night. “They think it’s funny that you’re working here and think it’s useful you’re so close.”

Levi frowned.

“You’re not going to get a chance to go up. They’re not that stupid.”

“You shouldn’t be talking about this,” Levi said.

Eren laughed, raspy. “Why ever not?”

Levi glared at him, uncertain if he was serious or not. “Because if you’re not careful, you’re gonna end up as fresh sushi. It’s not like you can run away after all.”

Eren looked at him boldly, unconcerned by the threat. “I might be poisonous.”

Levi frowned. He couldn’t protect him. Could barely protect himself. Eren just looked amused.

“I appreciate your concern, Levi,” he said eventually, and his smile was soft and sweet. Levi couldn’t argue with it.

The negotiations hadn’t achieved much. The flocks of pretty girls diminished and the civilians stayed home, waiting for it to blow over. Levi took to keeping a blade up his sleeve as he served hard drinks to harder faced men.

Eren spent most of his time upstairs.

Levi worried.

It was nearly four in the morning when the private elevator to the upper levels slid open and no one stepped out. Levi abandoned his post to investigate and he recoiled when he saw the man inside bleeding out on the floor. Gunshot wounds. And he hadn’t heard a thing. Who knew what had gone on only meters above his head over the past few months?

Levi slid into the elevator, keeping his feet out of the blood, and pushed the button. He let the knife rest in his palm and felt hopelessly unprotected, but what else was he here for if not this? And where was Eren?

The private club above was in disarray. Furnishings broken, the thick carpet littered with broken glass, and everything soaked with salt-smelling water. The tank had broken. Levi hurried forward, pushing past the man waiting for the lift who staggered in. It was only a split second later that he actually recognised who it was, when the doors were closing, and Levi whirled around, knife in hand, but all he saw was a glimpse of an old, bloodied face, cracking a triumphant smile.

Too late, Levi. You had a chance, and you blew it looking for a fish.

He stabbed the button on the lift, but it was already going down.

“Don’t worry,” Eren said. He was hauling himself across the floor, despite the broken glass and bloodied lip. “He’s a dead man.”

A figure rose above Eren’s form and he lashed out with his tail, knocking it down. Someone took a shot at someone in another room, and Levi automatically took cover.

“Eren, Eren!” he called urgently.

“Ha ha. It’s fine. They’re just trying to get away, now.”

Levi cautiously made his way out again, knife held defensively, but no one intercepted him as he approached Eren.  

“I got him,” Eren said.

“He got away,” Levi said.

“No, you don’t understand.” Eren’s tail flopped, the fins limp in the air, the spines that he used to flutter them visible. “I am highly venomous.” Levi’s eyes widened and Eren smiled. “Dead before he reaches the ground floor, I promise you. A great many of them are dead.”

Levi put his knife away, although he could hear someone pleading, or shouting, nearby.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.” Eren wrapped an arm around his neck, and Levi braced himself to lift, one arm under Eren’s back and one under his tail. The scales were smooth and cool under his fingers; Levi had always wondered what they’d feel like.

“Careful of the spines,” Eren said. “Don’t want to sting _you_.”

When Levi straightened up, Eren’s tail still dragged on the ground. He stared into Eren’s face and started walking.

Eren rested his head against his shoulder. He’d been out of the water so long his hair was starting to go fluffy.

The club was empty when Levi stepped out of the lift; the staff had fled. Eren wasn’t light and they had a long way to go, but he paused for a moment and they stared at the lightening sky and the city below for a few moments, knowing it would be the last time either of them would get the chance to appreciate the view.

“Levi,” Eren breathed, wrapping his other arm around Levi’s neck. “Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t poisonous?” For once Eren was the first to drop his gaze, teeth scraping across his lower lip.

In answer, Levi kissed him.


	35. Levi/Eren Dilf Eren Actor AU: Those Who Can

Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach. Bullshit, really. Levi was pretty bloody sure he could do, but here he was, teaching anyway. He’d done pretty well at drama school, but after a year of waiting tables he’d seen the writing on the wall and given up his dreams of working in front of the cameras.

It got a bit disheartening, turning up to auditions and never getting to open his mouth before they dismissed him. Too short, he was told, either apologetically or bluntly. His (ex) agent said if he lost a lot of muscle mass and he might be able to play teen roles but that wasn’t a career; sooner or later he’d grow out of those.

Plus he’d worked fucking hard for his muscles. Like hell he was going to give them up.

So a year out of graduation, here he was, teaching drama at a private academy to rich people’s kids. Levi wasn’t allowed to start his classes by inviting everyone who didn’t want to be there to leave; these parents had paid a lot of money and he had to try and train these brats, whether they wanted to be trained or not.

At least the money was good, he thought as he ran them through basic exercises. There were three kinds of students: shy kids whose parents wanted them to be more outgoing (Levi didn’t mind them; giving them a bit of confidence was actually the most satisfying part of his job) kids whose parents thought they’d be suited to acting (usually loudmouthed troublemakers who didn’t want to be there) and those who’d clearly begged to come, with stars in their eyes.

And then, Isabel.

Levi couldn’t figure out which of the three she was. At first she’d hung back, evaluating him, and she tended to get bored easily, but when she decided to perform, Levi had to admit she was star material in the making; she sparkled. She was also pretty cynical; she’d practically made some girls cry by bluntly telling them some home truths about the industry. It wasn’t his place to ask, but Levi did wonder what her parents did for a living; he would have put money on them being in Hollywood in some capacity.

He rather liked her, if he was honest, and he secretly hoped she _wouldn’t_ end up acting. She could do so much better.

Okay he might have been a bit bitter about it. Who wouldn’t be?

He wasn’t allowed to set his own curriculum either, and the section he dreaded most was romance. Partly because fifteen year olds, for all their ridiculous relationship worries, had no fucking clue and wouldn’t stop giggling about it. It gave him a headache every time.

He had a short script (no, it wasn’t Romeo and Juliet; these brats didn’t _deserve_ Shakespeare yet,) and his heart sank as he watched them read through it, either with embarrassment or embarrassing bravado. Still he launched into his lecture and read through it himself, taking both parts.

It got more laughs than anything else. It was hard to profess affection for oneself.

Someone said it was confusing when he read both sides like that and Levi said if there was another professional actor in the room they were welcome to step forward.

Someone did step forward.

It wasn’t unusual for the class to be watched, either by parents or other teachers (Levi was still the most inexperienced teacher in the academy after all) so he’d paid no attention to the guy in the beanie who’d been standing by the door for about ten minutes.

Levi thought he looked familiar but didn’t recognise him until Isabel said, “Oh my God.”

Eren Yeager.

Suddenly Levi had very, very bad stage fright.

Eren wasn’t the biggest star in the world or anything, but he usually appeared in major films at least once a year, and a handful of smaller projects between them. Levi would know because he’d been collecting Eren’s work since he was a teenager, and Eren himself a rising young star. Maybe he’d sort of dreamed one day they’d meet professionally.

He hadn’t really imagined it would take place in front of a roomful of giggling teenagers.

Eren strolled across to them. He was dressed down, jeans and a hoodie, and a pair of sunglasses hung from the collar of his shirt. With the glasses on he would have been almost impossible to recognise at a glance. He waved at the class, who had suddenly become very attentive.

The hardest act of Levi’s career to date; not be star-struck in front of the only celebrity crush he’d ever admitted to. (Once. When he was feeling particularly depressed. To a bored barkeeper.)

“So,” Eren said, spreading his hands, expression attentive. “Are we going to give it a try?”

“Yeah.” Levi cleared his throat. “Yeah, here, I already have it memorised.” He handed over the script, which was only a couple of pages long. He’d picked it specifically because the gender of the characters wasn’t clear, and he often asked his class to assign genders to the characters and then reverse them.

Shit shit shit. Breathe. He hadn’t had to go through his calming exercises in years. While Eren looked over the script, Levi spoke to the class, restating how one read a script, anything so he wouldn’t have an excuse to stare at Eren.

He looked older in real life. He’d long since stopped playing the boy-next-door roles that had started his career, and without lights or make-up Levi could see the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes and the grey in his sideburns.

He’d been staring.

Shit.

“Uh, pick whichever part you like,” Levi said.

“A is fine,” Eren said. The confessor. Okay.

They stood a bit apart, and Levi looked away.

“Hey,” Eren said. He still held the script but wasn’t looking at it. He’d changed his stance, uncertain, determined. Levi looked up, surprised, curious.

They walked closer, talking. Eren put a bit of bite into his character; snapping defensively where another actor might have made them shy, and then backing off. Levi altered his character as well, less clueless, more determined not to let Eren’s character off the hook. Knowing, pushing his luck a little. And Eren played back; he improvised beautifully and Levi wished he’d had the time and cash to see his stage performances as he’d clearly been missing out on some of his best work. He had presence.

“Alright, I-” Eren closed his eyes and opened them again, the class holding its collective breath, mesmerised. “I was staring, but I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve never meant it like that.” Sideways look, flicking his gaze up to meet Levi’s and down again.

Levi’s mouth continued to say the script, thankfully he could do it in his sleep, because to have Eren look at him like that was short-circuiting his brain.

“I like you,” Eren said. They were standing face-to-face, or in Levi’s case, face to chest. “I want to be with you. Is that stupid of me?”

Levi gaped at him, looking up into his brilliant green eyes. “I …no, it’s not.”

Eren’s worried expression melted into the dazzling smile that had captivated Levi for nearly a decade and he stepped up to him, put his hands on his shoulders, leaned down.

Levi let his eyes start to close.

And Eren stepped back and took a bow to a round of applause.

Fuck. Levi’s heart was going about a hundred miles a minute.

“Thank you, Mister Yeager.”

“Eren,” Eren grinned at him. Levi asked the class to thank him again, and Eren bowed out, leaving Levi to run the rest of his class with a thundering heart and not a lot of breath to speak with.

“Oh my God,” Isabel said again, as Eren left. Puzzlingly, she sounded less awestruck and more annoyed.

Levi cut the rest of the lesson fairly short. Eren was still loitering and half the class were paying Levi absolutely zero attention, so he gave up and let them go. Despite her cool demeanour, Isabel was the first to greet the star and he bent his head and laughed at something she said. She didn’t say more than a couple words, leaving while everyone else was still queuing for autographs.

Levi lingered. He had no idea why Eren was even here, and he took his time tidying up the room just on the off-chance Eren wanted to talk to him again, and wasn’t just preforming as a random act of charity.

Unfortunately, the next class arrived. Levi had to leave.

He was trudging down the corridor with his bag full of scripts when he heard his name called.

His heart skipped a beat when Eren jogged up to him.

“Levi.” He offered his hand.

“Hello.” Levi shook it.

“I’m glad we got to meet. Isabel’s talked a lot about you.”

Levi frowned, uncomprehending. “Isabel has?”

“She’s my daughter,” Eren said. And Levi’s look of surprise he laughed, “Don’t follow the gossip mags much then, I take it?”

“I believe an artist’s work is more important than their personal life,” Levi said, straightening his spine. “I didn’t even know you were married.” He hadn’t wanted to know; blissful ignorance was how he liked it.

“I’m not. Well, not any more. Not for years.”

“Oh.”

“I was way too young. Making movies at that age; everything was so intense, and you’re kind of stuck in a small glasshouse with your fellow actors. It felt like everyone was waiting for us to get hitched.” Eren smiled, awkwardly, looking at the ground. “Sorry, I know you don’t care.”

“It’s fine,” Levi heard himself saying.

“Don’t fall for your co-star,” Eren said. Levi felt a stab of guilt; yeah, right. Try and tell reality from acting, he told himself. You are supposed to be a professional. Eren frowned. Reconsidered. “I mean, it’s fine if you meet like that, but it shouldn’t be all you do, you know? You gotta, uh.”

“Date?” Levi suggested, as Eren seemed unable to come up with the words.

“I’d love to,” he said, and his grin told Levi he’d walked right into that.

“Oh,” Levi said eloquently.

“Okay, that was a random impulse, and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I did have a reason for talking to you, other than that. Isabel says you’re too good an actor to be teaching, and this is not for you to repeat but I’ve managed to get funding for my directorial debut and I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to find a lead. Isabel knows I’ve been looking for a fresh face, and she’s read the script and knows what I want. After seeing you work today, I’d like you to read it as well and see if it’s something you might be interested in.”

Levi blinked and then looked around, half-expecting this to be some sort of weird joke.

“Yeah, I guess it couldn’t hurt to take a look.”

Eren raised an eyebrow. “You’re really low-key. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“No?”

“Oh. Well, it’s a good thing. I’ll send you a copy ASAP and you can tell me what you think. It was good meeting you, Levi.”

He held out his hand again and Levi shook it.

“Wait.” He’d turned to go when Levi stopped him. “What about the other thing?” He raised his eyebrows and Levi scowled. Jesus Christ don’t make me say it. “The date thing.”

“Oh that.” Eren grinned. “I’ve got a thing on Friday, but nothing I can’t get out of on Saturday. Here.” He handed Levi a card. “I don’t give out my personal number to just anyone so you’d better call.” He winked and left Levi staring after him a little shell-shocked.

He looked at the card in his hand and smiled one of his rare smiles. Those who can, do.

He would.


	36. Levi/Eren Modern AU Crack: Directed by Richard Curtis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this fic was: ‘Person A wakes up and there’s a disembodied voice narrating his life that only he seems to be able to hear.’

_This is Eren._  
“Jesus Christ!”  
_He’s twenty three years old, and he lives in London._  
“Who- who’s there?”  
_It’s Tuesday, a day often overlooked by many people, but special to Eren for one very important reason._  
“Jean, if this is your idea of a joke, it’s the most pathetic one yet. Ah HA! No. Crap. Have you hidden a recording somewhere?”  
_Eren doesn’t have time to dwell on the fact that it’s Tuesday, because he’s about to realise he’s quite late for work._  
“Fuck! I don’t have time for this shit.”  
“Morning Eren.”  
_This is Kuchel Ackerman, Eren’s neighbour. That’s not all she is, but everyone has sides to them that they don’t show their neighbours. We shouldn’t really be surprised, even though Eren is a nice young man, and she enjoys their brief chats, because that’s just the way this world is. It’s very large, this world, but sometimes it’s smaller than you could possibly imagine._  
“Uh, hey, Ms Ackerman. Can you uh, hear something weird?”  
“Like what? I can’t say I’ve noticed anything.”  
“It might have been someone’s TV. I gotta go; I’m late. Goodbye!”  
“Have a nice day.”  
“This is so fucking stupid.”  
_Cheer up, Eren. It’s Tuesday._  
“Shut the hell up.”  
_Eren works in a cafe, much like the one near where you live, only this one has a cat. The owner of this cafe is called Dot Pixis. The one with the fur is the cat. The man with no hair at all is Pixis._  
“Good morning. Just in time, Eren.”  
“Sorry boss, had to run.”  
“You look like you got up on the wrong side of bed this morning.”  
“Yeah, I know. Maybe I just need some coffee.”  
_The reason why Tuesdays are so special is right at this moment crossing the street to get to the cafe. Eren checks his hair in the reflection of the espresso machine, makes sure the counter is tidy, and holds his breath, like he does every Tuesday._  
And this is why, coming in the doors right… now.  
No, not the blond with the eyebrows. The other one.  
This is Levi.  
Every Tuesday Levi comes to Eren’s cafe and orders black tea. Every Tuesday Eren makes Levi black tea, and every Tuesday Levi thanks Eren for making him black tea, and Eren is happy. At least until he remembers he has to wait a whole week for next Tuesday.  
To Eren, Levi is perfect.  
“What do you mean 'to Eren’? Just because he’s short doesn’t mean he isn’t ridiculously attractive.”  
“Are you all right?”  
“Huh? Yeah, I’m, I’m fine. I’ll bring your tea over. Here’s your change.”  
_He passes over the coins with fingers that ache to brush over Levi’s palm. Today, unlike all the other Tuesdays, Levi doesn’t move away. He stands there and stares at Eren and Eren’s heart feels like it’s going to burst._  
“Are you sure you’re okay? You like you’re really constipated or something.”  
_Like I said, to Eren, Levi is perfect. Because to the people who love us we are perfect, and Eren loved Levi with all his heart._  
“I’m fine! Um, next please.”  
_But love isn’t always enough, when you’re just someone who works in a cafe, and the one you love works at the university. It’s worse when he has loud intimidating friends and never visits the cafe alone. When you’re twenty-three, thirty-one can seem like an impossible age gap to breach._  
He doesn’t order coffee, so Eren can’t even draw a heart in the foam.  
“I would never do something that stupid anyway.”  
_But love can make us stupid. It can make us brave. And it can make us come up with crazy schemes. And today of all Tuesdays, Eren starts hatching a fantastic plan. It might not work, and the risks were high, but if he had any chance of earning Levi’s love-_  
“Cappuccino for you.”  
“Thanks.”  
“And black tea for you.”  
“Thank you, Eren.”  
“Um. I see you come in every Tuesday, and um, I think you’re pretty cool and I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me sometime?”  
“What?”  
“Go out with me. Please. If you want to. I mean, if you don’t want to, obviously don’t.”  
“Uh.”  
“He’d love to.”  
“Erwin!”  
“Of course you’re going to say yes. You’ve been mooning over him for weeks.”  
“He has?”  
“One more word, and I will sabotage your next grant application. Yes, I’ll go out with you.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Like, tonight?”  
“If you want, sure.”  
“Yeah. Uh, let me give you my number.”  
_That’s it? That was your plan? Just ask him? It’s not very exciting._  
“I gotta get back to work now. I’ll see you this evening, Levi.”  
_Bollocks. But, that’s how it is, sometimes. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to find the courage to ask, and love will answer._  
“Are you going to go away now?”  
_Yeah, that’s it for me. Good luck. You’re a cute couple. Oh, and your next-door neighbour is Levi’s mother._  
“What? Hey, wait! Come back! What else do you know? Shit.”


	37. Jean/Eren Canonverse: Something Selfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Jean climb a rock and talk.

The rock looked further away than it was. It rose out of the surrounding hills, craggy and grey like an old bull watching over a herd of cows. Eren rather thought he loved it. He loved everything out here; the further away they got from the walls the lighter he felt. There was danger out here, certainly, but it was a knowable sort of danger; titans, weather, terrain, he could handle those better than lies and false memories and the twists and turns of politics.

No one could follow them; no one had the power Eren did to turn the titans away, to order them elsewhere whenever they encountered them. They hadn’t drawn their blades for anything but hunting so far.

They were out here to find Ymir’s people; Ymir herself was a mostly-silent reminder that this wasn’t a holiday or an exploration expedition, and so far she hadn’t recognised anything from the disordered memories of her years as a titan but the rock.

When she’d seen it she’d frowned and pointed at it.

“I’ve seen that before.”

Levi said that wasn’t surprising; it was the biggest landmark for miles. If she’d come this way at all she’d have seen it, but it was better than nothing, and they’d changed course towards it, the slab of stone growing larger as the day progressed.

And then, around noon the following day, they were right up against it, among the scattered boulders at its base, gazing up at the towering stone.

They looked to Ymir, but she shrugged uneasily.

They made camp a short distance away; no one wanted to risk more boulders landing on them while they rested, and the party split up in a way that would have once meant suicide. Sasha, Connie and Mikasa were sent out to hunt, and there rest were to scale the rock and scout the land on the other side.

It would take them about two minutes to get up using the 3dmg gear.

“I want to climb it,” Eren said.

“That could take hours,” Armin said, having made careful notes about the area. He’d asked the party to slow down more than once so he could finish writing about what they’d observed. He looked how Eren felt, and Eren was glad to see his eyes open in wonder rather than tired and worried.

“You can go on ahead,” Eren said. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea. It didn’t look like it would be that hard to climb; he could see handholds and footholds, and he’d have his gear if he actually got stuck.

He just wanted…

He just wanted to do something for the sake of it. It might have been selfish, but he didn’t think he’d done anything for its own sake since the Wall was breached. That was years ago. What was Eren? A vessel; for humanity’s hope, his father’s memories, titan blood, the co-ordinate power. Was it too much to ask to be a man who climbed a rock just because it was there as well?

Ever since they’d left the walls he’d been feeling odd, like he was going to do something like this, like he’d been chained up for so long and there was so much space out here. He could be bigger, like he could be more of himself.

Levi frowned, “We can’t risk leaving you on your own.”

Right. Of course.

“I’ll go with him,” Jean said. Eren glanced at him but he was staring up at the rock. “It doesn’t look that hard. We’ve got flares if something goes wrong.”

Levi looked at him for a moment. “All right. Be back at camp before dark.”

The others zipped up the side of the rock, and Eren watched them go.

“Thanks,” Eren said.

“It might be fun,” Jean said. “Let’s get started.”

It was a lot harder than Eren had anticipated. Scrambling around at great heights with the help of the 3d gear was one thing, but now it was just a burdensome weight. The skies above them were clear, and every so often Eren would turn his face to the breeze to try and cool the sweat on his temples as he couldn’t risk wiping it away.

They didn’t talk. He could hear Jean’s progress, the scrape of his gloved hands on the rock, his laboured breathing and the occasional grunt as he hauled himself up higher. He was matching Eren’s speed, so it wasn’t like they were racing, and Eren decided he’d ask him why he’d even agreed to come once they were at the top.

If they ever got to the top.

Armin stopped to talk to them on the way down, the others merely wishing them luck as they dropped past. They’d drawn their maps and Ymir had looked for familiar landmarks, without success, and they were coming down again to decide where to go next. He passed on the locations of titans they’d seen and told them that the view was spectacular.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“We’ll be fine,” Jean said, gripping onto the rock and wiping his face on his arm.

Armin wished them luck and descended and they were alone once more. Eren could hear the occasional bird, and the wind whispered oddly over the planes of rock. It sounded different from the way the Walls sounded in the wind, hollower.

Jean swore and Eren glanced down to see him hanging by one arm. He clung to the rock again, and caught his breath.

“You want some help?” Eren asked, extending a hand down.

Jean shook his head. “No, I’m good. Just picked the wrong handhold.”

Eren frowned. This wasn’t meant to be a contest.

Jean must have read his expression because he smiled, “I just want to do it myself, you know?”

Eren did. “Just don’t fall,” he said.

“I’ve got my gear,” Jean said, levering himself up another foot. “And besides, you’d catch me.”

Their eyes met for a moment and then Jean continued climbing. Eren looked at the rock six inches from his face, and examined a tiny colony of moss in the hollow of a jutting piece of stone. This feels a little strange, he thought. But not bad.

It took an eternity. Eren wondered if he’d been climbing this rock his entire life. He felt his muscles twinge and heal themselves over and over and he realised Jean was going to be in serious pain later. What on earth had possessed him to agree to this? To offer, even.

The sun began to descend and they threw spidery shadows onto the rock face. They’d emptied their water bottles long ago, but Armin had told them there was water at the top in several rain-filled pools.

Eren thought about those rain filled pools a lot. He imagined rain, pouring into his open mouth. He could have ended his suffering whenever he wanted. But he didn’t.

The last few feet were the easiest; the rock sloped back near the top and they scrambled rather than climbed, using the hardy, twisted bushes they found to haul themselves the last few feet.

When they reached mostly flat stone they lay there gasping like stranded fish for a while, flat on their stomachs.

“We did it,” Eren said.

“We must be crazy,” Jean replied, slowly dragging himself up onto all fours and then to his feet. “Where’s this water?”

They explored the top of the rock, eventually discovering a series of small, fairly shallow pools. Because there was nothing much but rock up here, the water was clear and free of leaves or other muck. They refilled their water bottles and stripped off their gloves and boots and rolled up their trousers and cooled their aching feet.

Jean groaned and rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms.

“I am not climbing back down,” he declared.

“We won’t have time before dark anyway. Although we’d probably be quicker than on the way up.”

They sat in silence for a while, recovering, and kicking their feet in the water. The pools were more like puddles, coming up only to their knees at the deepest point.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Eren said.

Jean shrugged. It occurred to Eren that of all the people who could have come with him, he was glad it was Jean. He’d been this weird constant in Eren’s life for years now; at first a constant irritation and now, just a constant. When did I come to think of him as reliable, Eren wondered.

“Hey, Jean.” He looked at his own toes, pale and calloused. “Why’d you agree to come up here? You didn’t really want to climb the rock, did you?”

“I didn’t at first. But I got into it. Wanted to finish what I started, you know, if I gave up and you kept going, how was I supposed to live that down?”

“I have a healing factor you don’t though. You’re gonna hurt tomorrow.”

“Well, if you feel bad you give me some of your rations and rub my feet when we get back to camp.”

“I’m not rubbing your feet!”

Jean laughed and kicked at the water, and then his mirth faded. “You looked like you really wanted to go. It’s really hard to help you out, Eren. You don’t seem to want much. I mean, other than the impossible, but you were always like that.”

Jean didn’t look like he was suffering from heatstroke. He looked thoughtful and serious.

“I’m glad it was you, and not the mother hen,” Eren said.

“No disrespect to him, but I don’t think Armin could have done that, even if he’d wanted to.”

“I meant Mikasa.”

Jean raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I’d have thought you’d have wanted her along, if she hadn’t already been sent out hunting.” Eren didn’t reply, feeling small and a bit guilty. “Guess not,” Jean said. He sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. “You know she only does it because she-”

“I know why,” Eren retorted. “I’m not as dumb as everyone thinks I am.”

“No one thinks you’re dumb.”

“Oblivious then.”

_That_ caught Jean’s attention. Eren sighed and realised he had to explain now.

“I mean, I was, for a while. But once I had some time to think and process stuff and not be kidnapped every two days, I’m not stupid. I worked it out.”

“I just figured you were underdeveloped,” Jean said. Eren raised an eyebrow and Jean cracked up, throwing his head back and laughing like Eren hadn’t heard in a while. “Not like that. You’re really coming out of your shell; this climb’s done you good.”

“It was easier to pretend to be oblivious,” Eren said, steering the conversation back on track because making Jean laugh was oddly very satisfying, and if he started he knew he’d keep trying to do it. “I love her, of course I do, but not quite like that.”

“Right, you don’t want to hurt her.”

“Sorry this must be weird. I know you like her.”

“Eren, you’re still a bit oblivious. That was years ago.”

“Oh.”

“I mean, that would be kind of pathetic, wouldn’t it? Pining after someone that long when they didn’t like you back?”

“I guess.” Eren shrugged, feeling oddly defensive.

“My ma always said you got to ask a girl only once. If she said no, that was it; she could change her mind later but that was her decision. I never listened; I figured they wouldn’t say no, right?”

“Why would you think that?” Eren said, genuinely mystified.

“Because I’m the most attractive guy in our year.” Jean rolled his eyes.

Eren considered this. “I guess you’ve got a point.”

“Wha- what?” 

Jean had gone an interesting shade of pink and Eren laughed and got to his feet. He didn’t feel like explaining. He left his gear where it was and collected his boots.

“Come on, let’s go and see about this amazing view.”

The view was amazing. Eren held up his hand to shield his eyes from the setting sun, and gazed out across an endless expanse of countryside. He heard Jean join him a little while later but he didn’t look away.

“It’s really big,” Jean said. “Bigger than I expected. I kind of thought I’d hate it, to be honest.”

“Why?”

“Cause there’s no people, no walls, there could be anything out here. There could be another set of walls with people living in them. How weird would that be?” He shrugged. “But it’s okay. The Walls weren’t as safe as I thought they were. This isn’t a lie; this is what the world is.”

“It’s nice not to matter,” Eren said. “There’s so much out here, and whatever we do it won’t make any difference to most of it. It’s peaceful.”

“You still matter, Eren. To the people who know you, this isn’t as important as you are.”

Eren shrugged. That sort of truism was beside the point, as far as he was concerned.

“Eren, please.” Jean sounded upset. Eren turned away from the sunset and blinked at him, uncomprehending. “When you were in the cave, I remember, you were just not doing anything, like you wanted Krista to eat you. And afterwards, you were, um.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t ever want to not matter like that, okay? Forget all this titan shit.”

“Titan’s don’t shit-”

“Just forget about that! You’re impossible. It’s like, for once in your whole life, do something selfish!” It was just like old times, Eren thought, like they were on a training exercise, Jean yelling in his face. 

Only it was entirely different.

Eren grabbed the collar of Jean’s jacket and kissed him.

It was more of a head-butt really. It fucking hurt and he felt Jean’s tooth snag his lip. It healed. A second or two later, Eren shoved him away again, Jean’s collar still clenched in his fists. Jean gaped at him.

“What was that for?” he asked in a faint voice.

“I don’t know!” Eren let go of him and made as if to arrange his collar properly, his hands hovering. His heart was pounding and he forced himself to lower his hands. “Something selfish, I guess. I’m sorry.”

“It was kind of crap,” Jean said.

“I said I’m sorry.”

“No, I mean. You can do it again, if you want. I don’t mind.”

“You still think I’m oblivious,” Eren said. “Do you just not mind, or would you actually like me to do it?”

Jean didn’t answer but he did shuffle forward until he was right in front of him, and hesitantly bent his head to Eren’s and that was clear enough. So that’s how it’s done, Eren thought, as Jean rather awkwardly kissed him, his lips dry against his own. It seemed easy enough.

Is this selfish or not, Eren wondered as he wrapped his arms around Jean’s chest. He couldn’t tell. It felt like something that should be, but Jean embraced him back and when he pulled away slightly he said, “I want to be selfish too.”

“Okay,” Eren said, and he found himself smiling. Jean grinned back, a smile like nothing Eren had ever seen on his face, warm and pleased and, like everything else he’d discovered out here, he rather thought he loved it.


	38. Levi/Eren Australian Dilf Eren AU

It was late in the day when Eren came home, the orange dust striped with black shadows thrown by the row of eucalypts that lined the dirt track to the house. He parked the ute by the shed, the dogs bounding out of the tray and making their way, loose-limbed and panting to their water trough.

Eren took his hat off and gazed out over the property, eyeing off the clouds on the horizon. Not yet, he thought, but he could feel the build up to the monsoon, the crazymaking heat, and the air thick and humid.

The dogs watched him with bright eyes as he walked to the house, knowing it was nearly feeding time. He wasn’t surprised to see the pile of parcels on the veranda by the front steps. The mailbox was half a mile way, on the road, but Mike brought the big stuff right up to the house, and it was about the time of year his relatives started sending him fruit cake and hard candies and socks (chocolates just never survived the trip.)

Must have been quite a haul, Eren thought, as he noted the large canvas bag next to the parcels and the small pile of letters, and beyond it, his back to the bag, his head tilted back and his legs sprawled in front of him, was Levi.

Coulda let yourself in, mate, Eren thought. But Levi had always been polite like that; would barely get himself a glass of water without asking first. Eren stood on the top step and just looked at him, now that he could without being stared back at. Every year he came back from uni bigger–not taller but broader. His arms were folded across his chest and Eren could see the thin cotton of his tshirt straining slightly over his biceps. His mouth was slightly open, a day’s stubble on his jaw.

Jesus, he was growing up fast. He’d looked fifteen until he was about nineteen, and Eren had been grateful. It made things easy. Now he couldn’t even use Isabel as a buffer; she was staying with her mother until Christmas.

It was going to be a long few weeks.

Eren sighed and put his hat back on. “You’re making it bloody difficult to be a responsible adult, Levi” he muttered, going to unlock the front door.

His heart seemed to stop when Levi opened his eyes, eyes the colour of the storms still nothing more than a promise soaking up heat over the Gulf.

“Then stop already.”


	39. Levi/Eren College AU 2

The phone rang at two thirty in the morning. Levi fell out of bed, tripped over the cat, and stubbed his toe on the hall table as he staggered to answer it.

“What?” he barked into the crackling on the other end. Niceties ended at two am sharp.

“Levi?” The voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

“Yes.”

“It’s Eren, do you remember me?”

Levi blinked himself awake, “Yes, of course. Where are you? You sound terrible.”

“England.”

“Oh.”

“Did I wake you up? I thought you might be marking or reading or something.”

“It’s summer break, Eren. Even TA’s get time off. How’s England?”

“I think they forgot the summer. It’s been raining. Hang on-” Levi waited as he heard coins clattering into the slot. “I heard the Beach Boys on the radio and I thought of, well, of home, really.”

“Are you all right? Do you need money?”

“No. I’d never ask you for- look, I just wanted to talk to you. God, this must sound weird. You’d probably like it here; I know you don’t like the heat.”

“Eren! Are you all right?”

He breathed for a while. “Homesick, I guess.” 

Levi wondered why he hadn’t called his family. Why he called his hardarse TA instead. Why Levi himself wasn’t telling him off for waking him up for no important reason. He remembered Eren. He wasn’t the kind of person you forgot.

“I see.”

“It’s been good, mostly. I got on the wrong train and ended up in Amsterdam but everywhere’s so close here so I just caught a train back. Sorry, I’m wasting coins I just. Um. Look, I thought of you, okay? When I heard the song. It’s not even the kind of stuff you like, but I thought of you back in California, and um, I couldn’t stop. I think. Well. When I get back. I wonder if I could.” A scuffling sound. “Fuck I’m out of-”

The line went dead. Levi hung up, carefully, like the phone might break.

“Yes, Eren. I’d like that,” he told his empty hallway.


	40. Levi/Eren Dilf Eren AU 2

Levi didn’t need an excuse to drop by Isabel’s place. He didn’t even need to check if she was home first; he knew he could come and go as he pleased. This particular Saturday morning, Isabel’s bike was gone, which usually indicated a junk food run or a panicky return of library books (Eren was very strict about fines coming out of her allowance.)

He let himself in with the key under the mat, some idea that he could watch cartoons until she got back. He got distracted, however, by a scuffing sound upstairs. Sounded like stuff being shuffled around.

”Hello? Can I help with anything?”

”Levi?”

He took that as close enough to an invitation to come up. He found Eren shoulders-deep in his wardrobe, various shirts scattered across the bed.

”Ah, no it’s fine. I’m just-” He gave a mighty heave and pulled out what he’d been looking for. “Getting out my old suit.” It was still in the plastic it had come back from the dry-cleaners in.

“Do you have a job interview?” Levi asked.

Eren grinned. “My sister’s getting married. Think I can still fit into it?”

”Only one way to find out.”

Levi wasn’t stupid. He sat down on the bed and crossed his legs _before_ Eren started stripping. This was turning out to be a great day. Off went the button-up shirt and jeans, and Levi stared industriously at his toes and simultaneously watched Eren through his eyelashes.

”She never said she wanted to get married, but it wasn’t legal til now either.” Eren smiled. “I hope I don’t cry. She wants me and mum to give her away. I dunno who’s going to walk Annie down.”

Levi smiled a bit nervously and watched Eren slid the trousers up his legs. Lucky trousers, he thought, flicking his gaze away as Eren pulled his stomach in to do up the fly and button. They still fit, but it was a close thing. Very close, Levi thought appreciatively.

”I’m glad they changed the law,” Levi ventured. “I mean, I never really thought about it either.” Now he wasn’t even trying to look away. His palms felt sweaty. “But it might be okay, as long as no one told Kenny,” he added, in a terrible attempt to make light of it.

Eren wasn’t fooled for a second.

He knew Eren was out, it would be fine, but it was strange to admit it out loud. Even Isabel had carefully talked around it.

”Levi,” Eren said softly. He smiled at him in the mirror then turned and crossed the room, still shirtless. Levi held his breath as Eren knelt down to look into his face, hitching up the trousers as he did so. “If you want to get married some day, if you want me to.” Levi thought he might never breathe again. Eren smiled at him, that beautiful, reassuring smile that lit up his eyes. “I’ll give you away. I’ll write a speech with terrible jokes. Don’t feel for a moment that you need to define yourself by your uncle’s expectations, okay?”

”Oh,” Levi said softly. He thought he might cry if he wasn’t careful and Eren looked so sympathetic.

”You can choose your family, Levi. Isabel and I will always be there for you.”

Levi ducked his head. “Thanks, Mister Jeager,” he muttered.


	41. Jean/Armin College AU

Armin really didn’t know why Jean had taken Creative Writing, but he suspected it was because it suited his timetable and he needed an elective, because while everyone else turned up with descriptive, true-to-life short stories about the challenges facing their generation, Jean invariably wrote about dinosaur astronauts and zombies on motorcycles.

It clearly drove some of the other students mad, but he seemed to relish their bad reviews and their critiques only seemed to spur him onto greater heights of absurdity. Armin had to admit he kind of looked forward to Jean’s turn whenever it came to share work. He had a nice voice, and didn’t mumble unlike some of the others.

He kind of doubted he was going to do more than scrape a pass though. Which would be a shame; he kind of liked the zombies. When he asked Jean about he he just sort of laughed and said he wrote the sort of things he liked to read.

“Where on earth do you find books like that?” Armin asked, genuinely curious.

Maybe not quite like that, he conceded.

“You should write seriously sometime,” Armin said. Jean shrugged. The next week, he wrote about flesh-eating coral. It was actually pretty unnerving.

Several weeks later, Jean practically moved Armin to tears. Their tutor was clearly pleased. Armin strolled up to Jean afterwards.

“That was brilliant,” he said.

“Yeah?” Jean did a lot of smiling, but he actually looked kind of shy when he smiled at Armin.

“It was hilarious. It’s like you parodied everyone else in the class perfectly. God, I even saw my own stuff in there. It’s like, self-obsessed millennials, right?”

Jean stared at him, and then his expression crumbled.

Oh shit.

“Jean?”

Jean was going. He grabbed his bag and was practically running out the door. He’d meant it, Armin realised. He’d meant every word of it. The uncertainty and indifference of the world that awaited him, the forlorn desire to impress an unnamed other, beautiful and brilliant like every other manic pixie dream girl the class had written about-

He’d never confirmed it was a girl. Armin thought back over the reading, double-checking. Maybe, probably, he was overthinking this, but Jean had taken every other criticism from everyone else without batting an eye, but when it came to Armin he’d looked utterly heartbroken.

If I’m wrong, Armin thought, as he set out after him, I deserve to make myself look like an idiot after mocking his hard work like that.

“Jean!” Armin yelled, with the last of his breath, bracing his hands on his knees. Thankfully, Jean stopped. “You and your stupidly long legs,” he panted.

Jean scowled at him, but at least he’d stopped running. They stood in the sunshine, crowds of other students ebbing and flowing around them and paying them no attention.

“I’m sorry,” Armin said.

“Why,” Jean said flatly. “We’re supposed to give honest criticism.”

Armin straightened up. “Can I read it again?” he asked. “Please?”

For a moment he thought Jean was going to refuse him, and then he unslung his bag and took out his notebook. 

He folded his arms and frowned as Armin reread the piece. As he did he tried desperately to work out what he wanted to say.

He took a deep breath. “I like your other stuff better. It’s cool, and different and I really sense you’re writing what you want and you won’t let other people try and ground down what makes your writing yours. And I also think, um, oh God I’m bad at this. That _if_ you’ve written this for someone, like, based off someone you like, if I was that person I’d be really, um, happy.” He was mumbling into Jean’s notebook now. It smelled kind of odd, but not bad. Okay, who smells notebooks? “And if I’m wrong I’ve just made a fool of myself but that’s kind of what I deserve for laughing at you.”

He risked a glance at Jean.

“Well.” Jean rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess it’s okay. If you make it up to me. Like, we get coffee or something?”

Armin handed the notebook back. “Okay. We can talk about what we’re gonna write next week if you want.”

“Oh that. I had this idea about mutant hipsters…”


	42. Levi/Eren/Jean Canonverse

Jean gave up trying to sleep. Connie was snoring away in the tent next to him, and didn’t stir when Jean crept out.

He went to the ocean. It was horrifying in a way, and the crash of waves had kept him awake, but it was fascinating too. He stood barefoot on the cold sand and stared out at its dark mass. The edge kept moving. Rocks that they’d been climbing on only this afternoon were now partially submerged; Armin had no idea why, but was sure the water wouldn’t rise beyond the sandy strip at the edge.

What if it rose to cover the whole world? Jean suspected it was a stupid question and hadn’t said anything.

Eren was on watch, but he wasn’t alone. He and Levi sat on the sand a distance away from camp, a lantern between them. It made perfect sense to Jean. He suspected he’d been in love with Eren longer than he realised, but by the time he’d noticed, Levi had taken the space by his side; Humanity’s Strongest and Humanity’s Hope. Yeah. Who could argue with that?

He couldn’t fault Eren’s taste. Levi had beautiful hair and eyes and he loved people. It felt odd to think about but, Jean was sure Levi loved them all, and he never slept better than when he knew their captain was keeping watch. 

The waves were hypnotic.

He jumped when Eren greeted him. He hadn’t even heard them approach.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Levi asked.

“Mm.” He looked at Eren, who’d been doing nothing but smile since they’d first seen the line of blue on the horizon. “Hey, what are you going to do now?”

“Huh?”

“The ocean was your dream, right? What now?”

“Well. Levi wants to open a tea shop. That’s his dream. We’ll do that here.”

“Tea by the Sea,” Levi said, standing on the other side of him to regard the ocean solemnly. Jean looked between them, wondering if it was a joke. They seemed quite serious. He wondered why he’d never even considered whether or not Levi had a dream.

“What do you want to do?” Eren asked him curiously.

People would come here, he knew. The sheer number of fish they’d spotted–the ocean was so big it could feed everyone in the walls. There would be a settlement here within a year. And, apparently, a tea shop.

“Please let me work in your tea shop!” Jean burst out, turning to Levi. He didn’t want to be left behind. He felt Eren come up behind him and peer over his shoulder, his breath warm on his neck.

“I told you,” he said to Levi.

They’d been talking about him? Jean turned his head and Eren was waiting for him. He popped up on his toes and kissed him firmly on the mouth. Jean’s brain stuttered to a halt. He turned back to Levi, braced for something, anything, but the older man merely regarded him calmly.

“You’re not going to kill me?” Jean asked.

“I don’t want to kill anyone,” Levi said, and Jean could hear how tired he was.

Eren nudged him and Jean stumbled forward, confused and exhilarated. “Go on,” he said.

“I don’t think he wants to,” Levi said.

“I do,” Jean muttered and kissed him before he could think better of it. He felt Levi smile against his lips. “I want a family,” Jean said, the words out of him before he’d had time to consider them.

Levi gestured between them. “This is not how you make one.”

“We can have fun trying,” Eren piped up and _that_ did funny things to his stomach and knees.

“Yeah it is, though,” Jean said quietly. They didn’t argue. The waves kept endlessly rolling in.


	43. Jean/Eren Failed Sexy Roleplaying

“So this is the Dragonborn?” Jean said, the Thalmor’s eyes alight. “Caught like a bird in a cage. I haven’t cared for your singing so far.”

Eren gritted his teeth. “Go fuck yourself!”

“I’d much rather fuck you,” he leered. “You’re rather pretty for a human.”

“Never.” Eren’s eyes narrowed in fury, unflinching when Jean ran the blade lightly down his chest.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Jean tossed it aside, the butter knife clattering on the bedside table. “Eren we’ve been at this for half an hour. I’m _supposed_ to fuck you. That’s the whole point.” He scowled and folded his arms. “I don’t even want to fuck any more. This is just frustrating.”

“I was playing my character!”

Jean groaned and buried his face in his hands. “I even wore these stupid ears. Whose idea was this roleplaying thing anyway?”


	44. Jean/Mikasa Skyrim AU

She Shouted, and the skies obeyed. The Whiterun guards cheered to see her arrive, and she rallied them as the beast circled the city, frost blasting from its jaws.

She challenged it with a voice that matched its own.

Jean didn’t run. She saw him scrambling up the ramparts, pulling arrows from his quiver and joining the other archers in tormenting the beast. She hadn’t had time to explain.

The dragon landed with enough force that she could feel it through the hard ground under her boots. She ran, axes gleaming. The trick was to be fearless, the trick was never to stand still. Dragon hide under the edge of her weapons, dragon blood on the ground, dragon _sound_ in the air about her. She shouted, called the beast mortal, and it failed to rise, coiling in maddened pain.

She leaped on its head, burying her axes in its brain, riding it down as it crashed into the dust. She roared her triumph in human tongue; it is our world now and I will defend it! The wyrms will face me and die.

They cheered for her, welcomed her home.

Jean hovered at the edge of the crowd, white faced and wide eyed. The hunter had left his furs at the base of the city walls when the battle had started, and had yet to retrieve them.

“Dragonborn,” he said when she drew closer. “I didn’t know.” The boasts he’d made of the creatures he’d hunted must be turning to ash in his mouth, but they’d amused her. “I figured I was protecting you,” he said. “All this time.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “It’s been an honour.” He saluted and stepped back and other well-wishers filled the gap around her, their beloved hero.

“You don’t have to go,” she said, but he didn’t hear her. Didn’t look back.


	45. Jean/Armin Modern AU

Armin said he was fine. “I’ll catch up, you guys don’t have to wait.”

Jean liked Armin. He was nice and thoughtful and let him borrow his notes. It seemed second nature to him to be polite and thoughtful; something Jean had never really gotten the hang of, if he was honest. So he smiled at him and said he’d see him at the base of the hill.

Eren and Mikasa had taken off like the wind; Grisha had been bringing them on skiing holidays since they were children, and Jean had learned from bitter experience that trying to keep up with them was a lost cause. That was okay. Without them making him look bad he was actually pretty adequate on the slopes; not bad for a kid who’d never even seen snow until he was fifteen.

They gathered at the bottom, waiting for Armin, and then made their way back up again to repeat the experience. Eren and Mikasa would ski all day given half a chance, but after a few hours Jean asked Armin if he wanted to go back to the chalet for a break.

He did.

They made hot chocolate and Armin buried his nose in _Midnight’s Children_ while Jean played with his phone. Armin saved up the biggest books for these holidays in case the weather got bad.

Jean got up to rinse out his mug and when he came back Armin was staring out the window, a strange expression on his face. Jean was not a polite or thoughtful person. Someone like Armin was a mystery to him; never getting his jokes, making weird ones of his own, and always Jean wondered what he really thought of him. That he was annoying, probably; he was always arguing with his best friend after all.

Sometimes, he wanted to try. He sat down next to him, feeling awkward.

“Are you okay?”

Armin closed his book. “Don’t tell the others?” At Jean’s nod he continued, in a quiet voice. “I hate this. I hate being scared all the time.”

“You’re scared? Of what?”

Armin stared at him. “That!” He gestured at the window. “I’m terrible at sports and things. And going up the ski lift and then standing at the top-” He forced his shoulders down. “I know it’ll be okay once I start but until then, every time. I wish I was like you.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Jean asked. He was sure Eren and Mikasa had no idea.

“Because I was so excited the first time! And, I don’t want anyone to feel bad. I keep telling myself I’ll get better at it and I won’t be as scared. You promised not to tell!”

“I won’t, I swear.” Jean wished he hadn’t asked. It was all in the open now. Think, Jean. “You’re really good at not looking scared,” Jean said. “I mean, I had no idea. I just thought you were uh.”

“Slow?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I am. I thought it was obvious though.”

“Nah, you’re really good at putting on a brave face.”

“It’s because I’m scared of everything!”

“You aren’t. Like, exams don’t scare you.”

“Exams aren’t scary if you know the material.”

Jean just looked at him. Armin blinked back and for the first time since they’d arrived (why hadn’t he noticed this?) Armin gave one of his funny little smirks.

Emboldened by this, Jean ventured a suggestion. “How about tomorrow, we skip the skiing and take a snowboarding class?”

“What?”

“Well, I always wanted to learn because I think it looks cool, but I hate.” Deep breath. “I mean, I’m scared of looking like an idiot. What if I suck? What if people laugh at me? So, we can both be nervous.” He shrugged. “It’s just a suggestion.”

“Hm.”

“But. Either way, I won’t go on ahead any more.”

“Okay.” Armin smiled. “Let’s try it. Snowboarding tomorrow.”

“Nervous?”

“Yeah. But in a good way.”

Jean felt about as tall as the mountains outside.


	46. Levi/Eren Modern AU 2

“If you’re broken, I swear I’ll kill you,” Eren sniffed. This was his life now, sitting on the kitchen floor, surrounded by crumbs, wishing death upon a toaster. He was really tempted to hurl it at the wall, or at least out the balcony doors that were standing open to let in what passed for a breeze.

It wasn’t fucking fair. Nothing was fair. And he had to go to work in half an hour.

“Guh.” He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He was so tired. He just wanted some toast.

He looked up when he heard a thud on his balcony. He half expected the neighbour’s cat again, in fact he’d been kind of hoping it would show up; he could use something to cuddle that wasn’t a broken toaster.

It was the neighbour. He wouldn’t have minded cuddling _him_ either, but this was not quite how he’d imagined he might begin seducing him.

“Are you all right?” Levi asked, stepping in carefully.

No. Yes. My problems are stupid. You probably have worse problems. He held up the toaster.

“My toaster is broken.” Maybe if he felt pathetic enough the universe would simply erase him from existence out of second-hand embarrassment.

Levi took it out of his hands and plugged it in and watched it fail to do anything at all when he depressed the lever.

“I guess it is.”

He didn’t offer to fix it. In fact, he looked about as nonplussed as Eren felt when confronted with the problem, and it was oddly comforting. He didn’t want to be the only useless person in the universe.

“Thanks anyway,” Eren said.

Levi shrugged, and Eren took a deep breath. Crying does make you feel better, he thought. His eyes still felt hot and his head ached slightly, but he sensed the worst was past, even if he still felt a bit fragile.

He got to his feet and offered Levi an awkward smile.

Levi frowned. “Would you?”

“Yes?”

“Like some toast?”


	47. Levi/Eren Singles Restaurant AU

Levi actually really liked the Singles restaurant, much to the bemusement of his friends. It was designed for a person eating alone, a nice private booth in which there was no space for acquaintances to see him and decide to join him.

And the food was great. He even got a special sense of satisfaction answering the question posed by the electronic menu screen after the food was served.

_“Do you want someone to eat with?”_

Levi stabbed the _No_ button with the kind of smug satisfaction of a man who has his life perfectly in order and is content with his own company.

On this particular rainy Tuesday he dropped his spoon into his soup, splashing his tie, when someone knocked loudly on the wood panel in front of him. Levi cursed and wiped himself down with a napkin.

“Hey!” he heard a voice, slightly muffled. “Hey!” Another knock.

Levi was wearing a truly fierce scowl by this point, but no one was there to appreciate it.

“What?” he growled, feeling rather silly talking to his invisible neighbour.

“You’re supposed to press the button.”

“I did.”

Silence. Levi claimed victory.

Prematurely as it turned out.

“You’re supposed to say yes.” The tone was plaintive now. “Otherwise what’s the point in coming here?”

“I like eating here. No one bothers me. Not until you showed up, anyway.”

“I like it here too,” his neighbour said. “Have you tried the fish cakes? They’re amazing. And I get to meet new people every time I visit.”

“Sounds awful,” Levi said.

“Aw, it’s fun. It’s not like it’s a real date, but if you like someone you could organise one later.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Ah! I’m sorry, are you ace?”

Levi sighed, his irritation defeated by the apparently inexhaustible niceness of his neighbour. “No, just picky.”

There was silence for a while, and Levi returned to his soup.

“Hey.”

Oh, here we go again.

“Aren’t you curious though?”

“About what?”

“About me. I’m kind of curious about you.”

Levi sighed, and summoned a waiter. He would be the last to admit it, but he was somewhat curious as to what sort of person would come back for multiple meals with strangers. When the waiter arrived, Levi kept his voice low. “Can you reset the question? I want to change my answer.”

For the first time he selected _Yes_ and pretended he couldn’t hear a distant cheer from the kitchen.

Levi was expecting the panel to slide up, but the guy on the other side clearly wasn’t, and the first thing he did was choke on his noodles, coughing until his green eyes watered.

“Are you all right?” Levi asked, not actually wanting to cause him an injury.

“Yeah.” He waved away his concern, took a sip of water, and stared.

Levi stared too.

“You’ve got um, sauce.” Levi motioned to his cheek and his dining companion instantly swiped at his own with his palm, then realised what he’d done and fumbled for a napkin instead.

Levi tried very, very hard not to smile. His companion grinned.

And that was how the Singles restaurant lost two of its best customers.


	48. Levi/Eren Australian Dilf Eren AU: Saturday We Meet Again

A magpie sings insistently somewhere nearby, but Levi sleeps on. It’s Saturday and the road beyond the venetian-blinded window above his bed is quiet. Stripes of sunlight, buttery and deceptively warm looking, stroke the hours across his rumpled bedclothes. Eight. Nine. Levi sleeps on, burying himself deeper, unused to sleeping in so late, but sore and tired and satisfied that nothing needs doing.

It’s a quarter to ten when Isabel’s familiar knock–two polite raps then a pounding fist–finally pulls him out of his doze.

“Levi!”

He’s not here, he thinks. Farlan spends every Saturday morning until noon working at a cafe, serving large expensive breakfasts and coffee to hipsters and joggers and people with dogs. Isabel knows that; if she wanted to see Farlan she’d go there.

“Levi!” It might be an emergency, although that wouldn’t explain why she’s here and didn’t call.

“I’m coming!” Levi lies, still curled up in his bed. His voice is still hoarse, his vocal cords tight and tired still. He supposes he has to answer the door now, and he peels back the covers and gets up.

He’s going to brave the crisp morning air of Melbourne’s early spring bare-chested when he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, his pale torso marred by deep bruising bites on his neck and shoulders.

He sees himself flush.

Heat twists in his gut and his cock attempts to resurrect the morning wood he’d slept through earlier as he remembers. Remembers asking for it, stubbled cheek against his neck, teeth on his shoulder, saying _yes, I’m a sober as you_ as people cheered and staggered in the house behind them. Remembers eyes bright with victory.

Levi throws on a shirt. And a hoodie for good measure and zips it up all the way.

Isabel smiles at him when he opens the door, “Did I wake you up? What time did you get to bed?”

“I dunno.”

Late. Early. The sky was lightening, and Levi hadn’t wanted to go home, but _we have to do this again sometime, more than this_ was enough, parting at the train station, cold and burning. The electric jolt of knowing there was a new number in his phone.

“Congratulations,” she says.

“It was probably the lawyers,” Levi mumbles.

“You were on the news, it was amazing.” She sighs. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Next time for sure.”

“Mm. I’m gonna make tea.”

He’d showered when he got home. He’s not sticky, he’s clean, but he can still feel his hands in his hair, and his breath in his ears. He’s smiling. Jesus. Why hasn’t Isabel noticed? He should peel it off his face but he can’t seem to cram the corners of his mouth down for more than thirty seconds at a time.

This is probably bad.

He makes tea on automatic, with honey for Isabel, and then after a moment’s thought he added some to his own; it would help his throat, and the sugar might wake him up.

“I’m gonna do it today,” Isabel says, wrapping her fingers around the cup. “I’ve put it off long enough.” Levi’s still sorting out what she’s talking about when she adds, “You will come with me, right?”

“Yeah,” he says, without even thinking about it. He wasn’t planning on studying today but even if he had been, it could wait. Half his class was at the protest and he doubts his lecturers will mind. He focuses. “Are you sure you don’t want Farlan along?”

She shakes her head. “This is family stuff. And you’re like my brother.” She’s said it before, and Levi’s accepted that role with something like quiet pride. “Farlan can wait; introducing him might be complicated. And I’d feel stupid if I was wrong.”

“Okay. I have to shower.” Shave. Make himself presentable. Try and slip back into the skin he inhabited yesterday, despite the fact that he felt two sizes bigger, bursting, new experience and anticipation making him want to burn through the rest of his life until they can meet again. He is impatient.

It doesn’t happen like this, he tells himself. You can’t fall in love overnight.

What if I did?

They walk to the station, and Levi feels selfish, knows he should be there for his dear friend, but Isabel doesn’t seem to need his support for now, sunk in her own thoughts.

“Do you think I should have brought a cake or something?” she asks, as they tap their myki cards.

“It’ll be fine.”

They have a reasonably long journey ahead of them and once they’re on board the train Levi goes into a daze, watching the scenery go by outside without really seeing it.

Their voices had been ragged from cheering and had almost given out all together they’d talked for so long. They moved somewhere quieter, regardless of the cold, heads together, talking in hoarse whispers, drifting closer.

He hadn’t been Old Guard. Levi had probably done more activist work than he had, but the combination of life experience and idealism had drawn Levi like a moth to flame; he’d felt the opposite for so long, keenly aware of his inexperience but utterly cynical. He’d found the antidote to himself.

He’d laughed, and he hardly ever laughed.

They get out at an unfamiliar suburban station, almost deserted. Isabel consults google maps and Levi can’t decide if mutual handjobs in a stranger’s garden makes him suddenly adult or hopelessly adolescent. He’d seemed a bit bemused as well and the relief on his face at _I don’t normally do this sort of thing_ is still a balm on Levi’s troubled and elated soul.

He’d been shy. Christ. Why would someone who looked like that be shy?

“Let’s go,” Isabel says and her voice is shaky and Levi packs away his feelings for later, and looks at her properly. She’d dressed up; nice shoes and a dress and coat, but her face is pale and wan. He honestly doesn’t know if this is a terrible idea or not, but he knows he’ll stick by her either way.

He takes her hand for a while, until she needs it back to check the map on her phone.

They get a bit lost anyway, and it’s nearing lunch time by the time Isabel finds the street she’s looking for.

“I feel a bit sick,” she confesses.

Levi can’t tell her it’ll be okay.

“I’m here. I’ll be right beside you the whole way,” he says instead.

They walk up the street and Isabel stops outside a suburban house much like the others. It’s a nice place, well-kept, and there’s a hatchback in the driveway with a _Frack Off! Shut the Gate_ sticker on the back window. They spot it at the same time and exchange a smile. Well, it’s something.

Isabel sets her jaw and marches up the gravel driveway and across to the front door. When she presses the bell Levi can hear barking from somewhere inside.

Footsteps.

Isabel arranges her face into a polite, hopeful smile. Levi hopes he won’t take them for Godbotherers and shut the door on them.

The door opens and several things happen at once.

Levi’s heart leaps joyfully, while the bottom seems to drop out of his stomach. Eren meets his eyes and starts to smile before looking with some puzzlement at Isabel. A large orangish dog of uncertain breed tries to smell them from behind Eren’s legs.

Isabel takes a deep breath and says, “Hi! Um, did you know a Kelly Magnolia like, quite a few years ago?”

And Levi’s shaking his head, his hand on his mouth because he didn’t know, he swears he had no clue but he can see it now. How could he have missed that? How could he have spotted it? It’s only face-to-face that the resemblance is obvious.

“Levi?” Eren’s frowning, and he looks at Isabel and the words sink in.

“Do you know him?” Isabel’s glancing at Levi now, but Levi can only stare at Eren.

“Oh my God.” Eren sort of staggers against the door frame, the colour draining out of his face. “Why didn’t she say?”

“He was at the protest yesterday,” Levi hears himself saying, as if from far away, “And the afterparty.”

Isabel doesn’t get it and Levi is glad because oh God he shouldn’t matter this is important and he’s just mucked everything up. She should have taken Farlan along.

“What’s your name?” Eren has, a least, forgotten him for now, staring at Isabel.

“Isabel Magnolia.”

He looks like he’s going to cry. “That’s a really lovely name, Isabel,” he manages.

“And this is my friend, Levi.”

“I didn’t know,” Levi says. “I had no idea, I swear.”

And Eren, bless him, rallies and nods, and takes a deep breath.

“You’d better come in.”


	49. Levi/Eren Australian Dirtbike AU: Peace and Bloody Quiet

All he wanted was a bit of peace and bloody quiet.

Levi moved in on Tuesday, six months later. Six months of back and forth about how far away he’d be from his mum (‘Darling just go. It looks lovely; I’ll visit you once you’re settled in and we can go bushwalking,’) and work (Erwin had only said, 'They’ve got the NBN out there right? I don’t think anyone’s going to miss your lectures on how unhygienic the fridge in the break room is,’) and anything resembling a social life ('Remember _Seachange_? I bet you’ll find some hunky diving instructor.’ 'I’m moving to the bush, not the beach, Hange.’)

Tuesday was moving tucks, booted feet on bare boards, endless boxes with the contents written in sharpie, and Levi’s cat Darjeeling wailing constantly in a cage on the back seat all the way from Sydney and cleaning and unpacking and finding things and losing them again and driving into town for Chinese takeaway as the last of the red faded in the west.

Wednesday was birdsong. Currawongs and crows and restless flycatchers that Darjeeling eyed covetously through the window. Wednesday was dry leaves crunching under Levi’s shoes as he walked the boundary lines of his new property. Wednesday was sunlight crisping the bark that hung in strips from the smooth trunks of the gum trees and making Levi sweat. Wednesday was shopping in town and getting a library card.

Thursday was work. Setting up the office and the click of the electric kettle and the rattle of the keyboard, coding. Thursday was utter silence once the sun had set and calling Mum to tell her about it, Darjeeling purring on the couch beside him.

Friday was a run along the dirt road striped dawn cold with the long shadows of trees, and a genial wave as the odd car drove by. Friday was a commute of fifteen seconds, oats steaming, tea steaming, Darjeeling prowling the windowsill while the birds sang. Friday was work uninterrupted, clocking off at two, making scones at three and tea at four to eat them with. Friday was the urge to dig out his old guitar for the first time in years as the stars came out. Friday was thinking maybe he’d fallen in love with the place.

Saturday morning was like being woken by wasps. The sound of wasps, anyway. An endless teeth-grinding buzz that started early and paused for only brief moments all morning. Levi scowled and muttered and banged pots and pans around and hung the washing out on the line.

It wasn’t wasps. It wasn’t lawn mowing or tree cutting or honest toil of the nature that a reasonable person could expect would _end_ sooner or later. It went on and on and Levi squinted down towards the back of his property and ground his teeth.

Fuck it, at least he could find out what was going on. He put on his boots and hat and a long-sleeved shirt and keeping an eye out for snakes he headed off, threading out the back gate of his still mostly empty garden and into the scrub beyond. The noise grew louder and more obnoxious, but clearer too and Levi could pick out the sound of at least a dozen two-stroke and four-stroke engines.

He scrambled up the side of a small rise, already sure of what he would see but determined to get a look so he could properly describe his outrage to whoever was unlucky enough for him to vent to.

There was a dirt track in front of him, the ground torn into dust, and he kept well away from it as he heard an engine approaching.

He needn’t have bothered, the bike came nowhere near him. It soared off the top of a nearby rise, and described a graceful arc over Levi’s head to the next one, the rider turning their head as they went past to watch Levi spectating, his mouth slightly open. He expected disaster, but the bike landed in a cloud of dust and was gone, and Levi flattened his hands over his ears as he heard the next one coming.

Most of them didn’t jump. They buzzed down the slope in a shower of dust and rocks and ground up the next one again while Levi wished all sorts of engine trouble and broken legs upon them for disturbing the quiet of the bush.

At least until the aerialist appeared again. This time he was watching for Levi, and as he flew he took one hand off the handlebars to salute him as he went past. Show-off, Levi thought.

At this point Levi went in search of the source of these idiots, trudging along the track but giving it a wide berth, as he saw the riders come off a couple of times, mostly ploughing sideways into the dirt, and scrambling back on again. He recognised the aerialist by now; he was wearing a green jacket that matched the colour of his bike. He was probably putting in three times the work of the other riders, doing tricks on every other jump. It was like gravity had no effect on him.

Eventually Levi found a tin shed and a dozen spectators and their cars. A large sign informed him that he’d stumbled across the local dirt bike association and that there was a meet on every weekend and a raffle every month. Until forever, as far as Levi could see.

He was tired and thirsty from his unscheduled hike and he rather reluctantly paid for a Red Bull and managed not to start ranting at the girl selling it. He pressed the cold can against his sweaty forehead and thought about the walk home. It wasn’t like there was anything he could do about this. It was perfectly legal and they were technically here first.

If anyone was to blame it was that bloody estate agent who assured him that he could find the peace and quiet he sought and for a good price too. He knew why the price was so good now. He was so angry, at himself, at the estate agent, and at these morons who thought buzzing around a dirt track was a reasonable use of their time.

He decided to walk back along the road after getting some directions. He’d have to walk up to the turnoff. His head was aching and his ears were ringing. He was making his way past the parked utes when a bike roared up to him. He flinched away from the cloud of dust it kicked up and then paused as he recognised the green-jacketed stunt rider.

The rider pulled off his helmet, revealing a tanned, sweaty face, with brown hair stuck to his forehead that he immediately ruffled up and green eyes. He was kind of gorgeous, which Levi thought was deeply unfair.

“Hi.”

“Hello,” Levi said, staring at him, wondering why on earth he’d made a point of coming up to him to talk.

He grinned, looking incredibly pleased for some reason. “You must be pretty dedicated, to walk around the whole track.”

“What?”

“Most people stick by the bar to spectate, but you don’t really get to see much from there. I guess they’re here to support their friends. You must be a real fan though.”

“Oh.” He was still smiling, and Levi didn’t know what to say. “You’re very good,” he offered.

It seemed to be the right thing to say. “I’m Eren. It’s good to have someone to show off for, you know? I think I did better today than I have for months cause you were watching me. And there’s a championship coming up too.”

“Will it be here?” Levi asked, mildly horrified.

“Nah. It’ll be on TV though, if you can’t make it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope you make it, though. Normally it’s just my family. I haven’t seen you around before.”

“I’m Levi. I moved in last week.”

“Wow. You moved here? That’s dedication.”

“No. Um. That is. I was sick of city shit, you know? Traffic and people coughing in my face in the lift and kids next door playing music loud at night. I can work from home so I thought, why not move?” It sounded rather silly when he said it but Eren seemed deeply impressed.

“And now you’ve got dirt bikes in your own backyard,” he said cheerfully.

“Yes.” Levi hid his face behind taking a sip of his Red Bull and remembering how much he hated the stuff now he wasn’t dying of thirst and wondering what to do with the rest of it.

“Are you going to drink that?” Eren asked as Levi regarded it with disgust.

“No,” Levi said, and held it out to him without prompting. Despite the fact that Levi had just held the can up to his mouth Eren took it from him and sculled the rest, Levi watching his throat move as he swallowed.

“Thanks.” His tongue flicked out as he licked his upper lip. “Are you leaving now?”

“I’m going home for lunch. It’s a long walk.”

“Oh! I can give you a lift if you like.”

“You don’t have to-”

“It’s not quite legal without a helmet or anything but no one’s gonna care. You’re right next door, right? I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

Levi was torn. On one hand, he wouldn’t have to trudge home in the dust and heat. On the other, potential death by dirt bike and the noise was going to follow him home. Also it looked uncomfortable as shit.

Eren slid further up his bike. “I’ll make some room at the back,” he said.  
Levi stared at the seat of his trousers drawn tight across his arse. Well. He was only human. He climbed on behind Eren and wrapped his arms around his waist. Eren didn’t put his helmet back on, instead letting the slipstream ruffle his hair as he rode as slowly as was practical.

It was still shit. Eren was gritty and the grit on his jacket blew back into Levi’s face when they started moving, and the seat was hard and narrow and not designed for two. Levi concentrated on the feel of Eren’s torso and wondered how he was going to explain not attending next weekend’s meet.

Eren rode right up to Levi’s front steps without incident, and when he saw Darjeeling he called out 'Kitty!’ and took off his gloves to stroke the cat’s head, and Levi asked if he wanted something to drink and he clomped though to Levi’s kitchen and drank about half a litre of water and chatted brightly and Levi suspected he was probably going to the meet next weekend.

Well, it was only once a week.

Levi knew this was a terrible, awful idea, which is why he hadn’t breathed a word about Eren to either his friends or his mother. It was only going to last as long as his willpower did. He told himself it was worth a morning spent suffering in the dust to spend Saturday afternoons with Eren, sitting in his back garden talking. He didn’t know why Eren kept doing it, but he seemed happy in Levi’s company, and Levi decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

“I’ve got a plan,” Eren said, about a month and a half later, as they had scones and tea one Saturday after the meet. “You know the championship?”

“It’s all you’ve been able to talk about for the past week and a half,” Levi said, amused. He was looking forward to it as well; the weekend would be quiet, and he did intend to watch Eren on TV. With the sound off.

“Yeah, well, I know there’s not room with us, but I just found out Reiner has a space in his car so you could go with him. We could stay the whole weekend and watch the rally on Sunday.” He looked so eager and pleased with himself, and there was a fleck of blueberry jam on his chin.

Levi sighed. He tried, he really did, but the thought of an entire weekend—no, he couldn’t keep this up, and Eren had gone to all the trouble of asking this Reiner on his behalf. He was beginning to feel like an arsehole; it was time to man up.

“Thank you but no.”

“Why not? I thought you wanted-”

“I hate motorsports! I hate the noise and the dust and the heat. I hate the smell.” Eren was staring at him, eyes wide. “The only bit I like at all is watching you fly, sorry,” Levi muttered.

“But you go every weekend.”

“Yeah.” Levi looked down at his tea. “I couldn’t figure out how to tell you.”

“Geeze, Levi. Way to make a guy feel like a prick,” Eren muttered.

“Sorry.”

Eren sighed and looked up at the clear sky above them as they sat in the shade behind Levi’s house. “It’s a bit weird. But.” Levi’s head jerked up as Eren reached over and touched his arm, just a brush of fingertips. “It was sweet of you too.” His ears were going red, Levi noticed absently.

“So?”

“So, I won’t see you next weekend cause of the championship. But, I could make it up to you and we could do something on another day?”

“Like what?” Levi said, and instantly wished his mouth didn’t make him sound so stupid sometimes.

“I dunno. There’s fuck-all to do around here. But something quieter, maybe.”

“Yeah. That would be good.”

“You can show me the game you’re working on.”

“Mm. If you would like.”

Levi skipped the championships, but he became a regular fixture at the local meets, big fuck-off noise-cancelling headphones clamped to his head and a smile reserved for one rider only.


	50. Levi/Eren Firefighter AU

“It’s starting to rain,” Jean said, pulling his blanket up over his head to shelter his hair. “Of course it is. Why couldn’t it have rained earlier, you know, _when our house was on fire_.”

“Mm.” Eren said, not looking at his flatmate, his own blanket draped over his shoulders. He could feel the spits of rain on his cheek, and the air reeked burnt. He tried not to look at what was left of the house, which was no hardship. There were so many other things worth looking at.

“We’re not insured,” Jean continued. “I mean, the landlord has insurance, presumably but what about all our stuff? Where are we going to live? Are they obliged to find us alternative accommodation because I am not moving back home. Do you think we could fit in your car?”

“Mm.”

“Our fault for renting a dodgy house. Now I have to save up for _another_ PlayStation?”

“Mm.”

“Eren?” Jean sounded a bit concerned. “Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it. You’re not in shock or something, are you? Why are you so calm?” Eren was not normally calm.

“It could be worse,” Eren said dreamily. “We could have died.”

“Well, I guess,” Jean frowned.

Eren pulled the blanket tight around his shoulders, imagining the cloth was those amazing arms. He’d carried him out, like he weighed nothing. It was totally worth all his crappy second-hand furniture going up in smoke to meet a real life fireman pin-up like that.

Said pin-up was now walking towards them, helmet in one hand and ruffling his short dark hair with the other and Eren sat up straighter. He was all smudgy and sweaty, and built like the brick firehouse he presumably had come from and Eren wondered if it was impolite to take a picture.

“It’s starting to rain,” their saviour said, looking at them with concern that had Eren’s stomach fluttering. “Have you two got somewhere to go?”

“No,” Eren said, before Jean could open his mouth. He looked up from under his bangs, eyes wide, like a kitten waiting to be adopted. He could practically hear Jean rolling his eyes.

“Well, lets get you under cover while we work something out. I’m Levi.” He held out his hand and Eren took it and Levi hoisted him to his feet without effort. Eren really didn’t feel like letting go.


	51. Erwin/Eren Yoga AU

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Levi hissed.

“Oh, be good and I’ll buy you ice cream,” Erwin replied although, if he was honest, maybe this wasn’t the best idea in the world. It seemed like a good idea; bring you best friend along to yoga class so you won’t be the only old guy in the room and hopefully it won’t be entirely too obvious that you’re there to stare at the instructor.

(Erwin had had zero interest in yoga up until he saw the young man handing out flyers to his class outside the gym. Newly qualified, just getting started, plenty of spaces free, beginners welcome.)

The downside was, and Erwin kept forgetting this because he just didn’t see Levi that way, Levi did not need a beginners class, and he looked fantastic in yoga pants, not that Erwin would have admitted it under torture. It probably didn’t matter; the odds were Eren would be more interested in the other students anyway; they really were the only guys here.

“Stop bouncing,” Erwin muttered. Levi was warming up like he was getting ready for a prizefight.

Levi looked at him, raised an eyebrow and very deliberately bent over to touch his toes, something Erwin could only do with a fair amount of effort. Bastard, Erwin thought. I’m not buying him ice cream. Erwin stretched up and then tried to copy him, his fingertips barely brushing the mat.

“Easier for you,” he muttered, feeling the blood rush to his face. “You’re closer to the ground.”

He heard Levi snort in response and then he forgot Levi as a pair of tanned feet appeared in his field of vision.

“Don’t force yourself,” Eren said. Erwin straightened up. “You need to get your body used to the movement. May I?” He held out his hands and Erwin nodded. He could put them wherever he wanted, and he was pretty sure Levi was reading that thought from off the inside of his skull, but thankfully he kept quiet as Eren gently altered his stance.

Okay he’d buy Levi ice cream. Vanilla.

Levi was flawless, of course, and worse was that he knew it. He just got more smug as the lesson went on, and Erwin was once again regretting blackmailing him into attending. He was going to show him up at least once if it killed him.

Levi was only six years younger, he told himself. Almost nothing. Tried not to remind himself that if Eren were six years younger he’d still be in school. It took Levi a while to notice, because believe it or not he wasn’t actually _trying_ to upstage him and Erwin knew that and somehow that made it worse.

“What are you doing?” Levi muttered. “You’ll strain something.”

Maybe he had a point. Couldn’t bend Eren into a pretzel with a sore back. Maybe he’d just have to try for holding a position longer instead. Didn’t age supposedly bring stamina? He should try playing to his strengths.

“Better,” Levi said, when Erwin didn’t overreach for the next pose.

“I do not want a lesson from you,” Erwin said.

“I am aware,” Levi smirked.

Erwin didn’t reply, concentrating on waiting him out. Eren called out for them to all relax, but Erwin held his pose.

“You idiot,” Levi said and he doesn’t even sound out of breath. He’s not dropping the pose either. Oh, it’s on, even if Eren’s politely asked them to stop, some things are just too important. Erwin’s feeling good, feeling warm but not sore and he’s got this. This one thing.

Eren’s coming over and it feels a bit like being back in school getting scolded by the teacher and then everything went a bit wobbly.

The next thing he knew he was gazing up into Eren’s face. The younger man was wearing a rather worried expression.

“What happened?” Erwin asked.

“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

Levi snorted, reminding Erwin of his existence. Eren frowned at them.

“Yes well, yoga is not a competitive sport.”

“I won’t bring him next time,” Erwin promised.

“Are you kidding? Just try and stop me. This is hilarious watching you pine.”

“Levi!” Erwin sat up abruptly and oh yeah, everything was going to ache tomorrow.

“You know,” Eren said, wearing a slightly disbelieving grin. “You could always book a private lesson.”

Fine. Whatever ice cream he wanted in any quantity.


	52. (nsfw) Levi/Eren Canonverse

Levi opened his eyes. The war might have ended in the real world, but it never stopped in your head. He could see it in the others too, each cracked in their own unique way, and all, in the end, preferring the hardships and uncertainties of the world outside to what passed for ‘peace’ within the broken shell of what once were walls.

Levi’s most debilitating fault-line was insomnia, and when he felt it dig its sandy claws into his brain, he got up and relieved whoever was on watch. If he couldn’t sleep, someone else could.

It was Eren’s turn on watch, and after Levi had pulled on his clothes he went in search of him. He found him sitting at the base of a tree, rifle within easy reach, his legs spread and his hand on his cock. Levi’s steps faltered. Yeah, all right, they already saw far too much of each other as it was. He couldn’t blame him. He’d leave him to it and return in a little while.

He hadn’t been trying to be quiet, and before he could leave Eren snapped his head up, and Levi’s heart twinged.

He was crying.

“Well this is awkward,” Eren said in a nasal tone and this was so wrong. So messed up. Eren had curled up again, hiding himself, but he didn’t really sound embarrassed, just resigned.

“Eren.” Levi took a step forward. Eren sniffed but he kept his head lifted, didn’t shrink back with Levi standing in front of him, his feet between Eren’s knees. Levi wanted to make things better for them, would drag his old injuries and insomnia across the whole damn world if that was as long as it took for them to find their peace, to pick up their pieces.

Eren he wanted, selfishly, to piece together himself, save something worth saving. He knelt down, the grass cold and damp beneath his knees and he didn’t ask what was wrong; that wasn’t the point. Eren didn’t have to try and explain himself to him.

“What do you want?” he asked softly, his eyes on Eren’s face. Eren shrugged, his hands still clasped protectively over his unzipped fly. Levi tried again. “What do you need?” Eren shrugged again but this time a whimper accompanied it.

Levi sighed and reached out, reached out for what felt like a thousand years, to put his hand on the back of Eren’s neck. Eren let out a shuddery breath and leaned forward until his forehead was against Levi’s shoulder.

“It’s all right,” Levi whispered into his hair, letting his fingers rub gently at Eren’s flawless, scarless skin, rasping his thumb across the fine hairs at the back of his neck. Eren breathed against him, his breath a warm wash across Levi’s chest.

Levi held him there, listening to him breathe and to the quiet noises of the forest around them. Someone had to keep watch, after all. Eren eventually loosened his grip on himself and Levi smiled faintly to see him politely wipe his hand on the grass before reaching up and clutching at Levi’s jacket. His other hand remained firmly in place.

“Eren.” Levi put his other hand on Eren’s knee, felt Eren nod against his shoulder. “I’ll take care of it,” Levi promised.

“Do you want to?” Eren whispered.

“I want to take care of you.” More than anything else, he wanted to take care of him. He heard Eren’s breath hitch, and his legs fell open slightly wider as Levi trailed his hand up Eren’s clothed thigh. He rested his fingers on Eren’s hand, heat seeping out from beneath it, and after a little while Eren pulled his hand away, and let Levi take him in his hand.

Eren was hot and hard, and Levi was gentle at first, spreading slick around with his thumb, letting Eren get used to the idea. Eren tilted his head so he could brush his lips against the base of Levi’s neck, his breathing slightly fast.

“Good,” Levi said. “You’re very good.” Eren’s breath whistled though his clenched teeth as he swallowed. Levi stroked him, no teasing, finding the pace that suited Eren best and sticking to it, watching Eren shiver and shudder as he got closer, his fingers twisting the cloth of Levi’s jacket as he clutched at it.

It didn’t take long. He came quietly, mumbling Levi’s name, and slumped against him when Levi withdrew his hand.

“Thank you,” Eren said, sounding uncertain. Couldn’t blame him.

“You’re welcome.” He pressed his lips to Eren’s forehead and that seemed to wake him up because he lifted his head suddenly, looking into Levi’s face.

The next kiss, by silent mutual agreement, was on the lips.


	53. Erwin/Nile Canonverse

Absences ached. Erwin could feel the tingling in his right hand, and he knew tingling led to pins and needles led to cramps. All in a limb that had long gone. It was, at least, only physical pain, and such could be endured.

Other absences hurt more. Someone had to remain behind, but nevertheless he missed Hange’s insight and Levi’s …mere presence, really. At least they were coming back, as far as he knew. Mike was not.

All Erwin could do was wait to join him, really.

He could write left handed now. He could do a great many things left handed, but not enough, it felt like. He put down his pen and gripped his stump, digging his fingers into the remains of his arm, trying to use real pain to chase away the imagined one.

“Are you all right?”

He’d actually forgotten Nile was there. Maybe he’d done so deliberately. It was so strange to work with him again, and they’d been …polite. Like they were the near-strangers almost everyone outside Erwin’s inner circle assumed they were. He had no idea what Nile’s inner circle thought.

“It does this sometimes,” Erwin said. “The doctor’s tell me it’s not unusual and nothing to worry about.”

“Ah.” Nile looked worried anyway. “Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?”

“Why, Nile?” he asked.

Nile clearly wasn’t expecting the question and didn’t seem to know how to answer. Which answered it anyway; he’d never been the articulate one, always relying on Erwin to smooth over his rough edges. Erwin had already come up with a best case scenario, an arrangement maybe, a strange uncle to his children, and retirement in pottering about Nile’s garden shed and Nile himself, when he could pull himself away from his wife-

“Thank you for the offer, but I can cope.”

Wasn’t just the absences.


	54. Erwin/Eren Kid Levi Modern AU

Eren liked kids. He got on with kids. He made good money babysitting over the summer, but Mikasa’s little cousin was slightly more than he could handle. He wasn’t sure what Kenny had done to the kid to make him so frightening. He wasn’t rude, exactly, or disobedient, and he was so neat and tidy he made Eren feel like a bit of a slob. But he was intense, and he was independent and didn’t seem to think there was anything odd about going off by himself, or _sharpening the knives in the kitchen after doing the washing up_ Eren had nearly had a heart attack.

The park seemed like a nice, safe outing, even if Levi didn’t smile much he was very blunt about what he didn’t enjoy and since he didn’t object Eren took it as a win. He was rather looking forward to Mikasa coming back from her karate tournament, however.

Or he was, until he lost Levi. One minute Levi was describing in detail what sort of horrible things would be in the water at the duck pond, and Eren had taken a moment to check his phone and answer one of Armin’s texts and the next he’d disappeared.

“Fuck fuck fuck,” he chanted under his breath as he jogged around the park. Levi just had no concept that he needed looking after. Nothing seemed to frighten him.

“Oh god.” He finally spotted Levi in the skate park, in the midst of a group of older teenagers, probably only a year or two younger than Eren himself, and Eren remembered Mikasa saying Levi occasionally got into fights. Eren broke into a run.

He pulled up at the edge of the skate park, in time to see Levi get on one of the skateboards and in a slightly wobbly but determined fashion set off.

“Hey take it slow.” The owner of the skateboard, a tall guy with blonde hair jogged along beside him one arm stretched out in case he fell.

“I take it he belongs to you?” An individual of indeterminate gender with bandaids on their knees and elbows addressed Eren.

“He’s a friend’s cousin,” Eren said. “I’m supposed to be watching after him but he just keeps going off-” Something of the frustration must have bled into his voice because they patted his shoulder.

“Erwin’s got him. No harm done.”

Erwin had indeed got him. He didn’t seem impatient at all as he explained the basics and Levi’s utter lack of fear served him well to keep him on the board. He was probably a natural. At the end of the impromptu lesson, Erwin led Levi back to Eren.

“This is Eren,” Levi said. “He is my cousin’s friend.” He always spoke so formally. “This is Erwin,” he added, and gazed up at him speculatively before coming to some sort of decision. “He is my friend.”

All Eren could think was Levi had good taste in friends. Erwin was the sort of suntanned gorgeous that only existed in magazines.

“Maybe we could all be friends,” Erwin said. Levi didn’t seem pleased by this idea but didn’t say anything, but Eren liked the idea. But he had something to do first.

“Levi, don’t ever do that again! If you wanted to see the skate park you just need to ask and I’d take you, okay? Don’t just wander off without saying anything.” He wasn’t sure it was sinking in. Erwin was looking at him with an amused and sympathetic smile.

“Thank you for looking after him,” Eren said.

“‘S okay,” Erwin shrugged. “He’s a pretty talented guy.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Eren’s phone rang, and he saw Mikasa’s name before he answered it. “Hey, how’d the tournament go? Congratulations! Of course you did. Yeah, we went to the park. Levi made a friend.” He glanced at Erwin, who was watching him.

Levi had not had much success in making friends at this point and Mikasa was understandably delighted by the news. “Should I invite him over? Yes, I’ll make sure he gets his parent’s permission.” 

Erwin snorted. 

Eren looked at Levi. “Would you like to invite Erwin over for afternoon tea?”

“That would be nice,” Levi said.

Erwin grinned, and his friends looked amused. “I guess it’s a playdate then,” he said.


	55. Levi/Eren Modern Fantasy AU

Eren was really trying very hard not to be nervous. He’d been overseas before, but that was when he was quite small and he was with his parents. This time, he was on his own. He’d breezed through the airport, puzzled his way onto the bullet train, and spent most of the ride with his nose glued to the window, despite the fact that once they were out of Tokyo there was a lot of very ordinary scenery.

Mikasa’s grandparents still lived at the family farm, and on the map it looked like an easy trip. Public transport was brilliant in Japan, don’t worry, he’d make his own way there and walk the last couple of kilometers to the house from the bus stop. They wouldn’t need to trouble themselves. A farm-stay in Japan was perfect; he could practice his Japanese and in return he was prepared to work like a cart horse around the old farm and spend quality time with Mikasa. She’d said her grandparents were quite excited to have the younger generation coming back, even if it was only for a summer.

As the hours wore on, Eren’s excitement diminished. He went from a bullet train to a bus that was full of napping workers and chatty old people. There had been one or two foreign faces on the train, but here he was the only one. No matter, the old man next to him seemed to understand what he was saying, and when he got off at his stop he pressed a couple of oranges and a piece of chocolate into Eren’s hands.

Eren realised later that the old guy probably had a much better idea than Eren did of just how far he had to go. What looked like a short distance on the map was much longer when translated into forested mountains, around which the bus wound quite slowly, stopping to let off people. Eren checked and rechecked the name of his stop. The bus only came once a day and he couldn’t afford to get it wrong.

It was hard to believe this was the same country that housed the lights and towers of Tokyo. Here there was endless forest on the hills, broken only by the occasional house, or wooden shrine. On the other side, were neat rice fields and Eren used some of his precious remaining battery power on his phone to take a photograph of a water buffalo. Mikasa had said her grandparents lived rural, but it felt more like they lived back in time.

As the day grew old, the clouds piled up, and when Eren finally stepped off the bus, only one other passenger going beyond his stop, he could hear thunder rumbling. He adjusted his backpack, checked his directions one last time, and set off at a jog along the dirt road which he hoped went past the house.

He’d left the main road, or what passed for it, behind him and was trotting between two rice paddies when the heavens opened. He broke into a run, although he doubted it would help. And then. Shelter! A tiny wooden hut next to the road. He’d seen _My Neighbour Totoro_ (currently felt like he was living it) and he clapped his hands together and asked for shelter before diving into the little shrine.

“Yikes!” There was someone already there. A man in a kimono was sitting cross-legged in the corner. “Ah, _sumimasen_.” Eren bowed to him and squeezed himself and his backpack under the roof, careful not to disturb anything. He eyed his companion surreptitiously; he hadn’t seen anyone wearing traditional dress so far; they really were old fashioned out here. Eren was delighted. His companion wasn’t even that old; his hair was black, and his face strangely ageless.

Thunder rumbled overhead and the rain was a solid hiss on the roof of the shrine. Eren sighed.

“It looks like we’ll be trapped for a while,” he ventured.

“We’re not trapped, we simply choose not to leave.”

“Well, I guess.” Eren frowned. He seemed far more relaxed about the situation than Eren was, and it calmed him down a little. He just hoped Mikasa’s grandparents weren’t too worried about him. The stranger was watching him. “I’m Eren. I’m from Australia,” he added because that was what everyone seemed to want to know.

“I’m Levi. I live here.”

That seemed to break the ice and Eren explained why he was visiting and said it was a very beautiful part of the world. Levi told him stories of the inhabitants, although Eren doubted they were first hand, since he didn’t once mention any modern conveniences that would have quickly solved the mix-ups people seemed to be getting into.

Then Eren remembered the food the old man had gave him, and he offered Levi an orange. Levi smiled and took it out of his hand, and there really was something fascinating about him, about the way his eyes reflected the lightning flashes. Eren offered a knife to help him peel the orange but he shook his head, digging his nails in and tearing the fruit apart. Despite this he didn’t seem to get juice on his fingers, even though Eren ended up licking it off his own.

They sat in silence for a while, until Eren got bored again and took out the chocolate, breaking the block in half with a snap that had his companion looking over at him in surprise.

“Want some?” Eren asked, offering him his choice of pieces. He took the larger one delicately, and sniffed it before nibbling it like he’d never eaten it before.

“Thank you,” he said. He finished it slowly and thoughtfully. “Well, I must be going. It was good to meet you. Enjoy your summer, Eren.” Despite the fact that it was still pouring, he stood up as he stepped out of the shrine into the rain.

“Ah, I’ll see you later then!” Eren called hopefully. He said he lived local, after all. Levi gave him a strange sly smile, water already beading on his face, and then he walked off.

How odd, Eren thought, watching the water drip off the end of the wooden roof. Then he glanced at the ground, blinked, and nearly tripped over his bag as he staggered out into the rain, heart pounding as he stared in the direction Levi had gone. There was no sign of him.

Eren looked at the ground again, the rain already starting to obliterate not shoe prints, or sandal prints, or even footprints, but the tiny, delicate paw-prints of a fox.


	56. Mikasa/Annie Circus AU

“What do you mean you can’t?” Annie asked. Bertholt huddled pathetically within his pile of blankets.

“If I cough at the wrong time you could skewer me,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Yeah, okay, I know.” Annie ran her hand through her hair. “You just concentrate on getting better, alright? I’ll find someone else to cover for you tonight. You want anything?”

Bertholt shook his head and curled up further in his blankets. Annie left his caravan and went in search of a replacement.

“You know I would,” Reiner said. “But I can’t. I have to keep my boys calm before the show, don’t I, Titan?” He stuck his hands in the lion’s mane and gave it a good scratch, and Titan purred like the big cat he was.

Word had clearly gotten around that the knife-throwing was short a performer, because when Annie poked her head into the tent where the clowns were rehearsing, Sasha and Connie took one look at her and fled in a shower of skittles and juggling balls, tripping each other up as they went.

“I really can’t,” Historia said quietly. “I mean, I’d love to help you out but-”

“Annie are you picking on her?” Ymir strode up scowling.

“You do it then,” Annie was practically begging at this point.

“Nu-uh. It’s supposed to be a big reveal that our ‘strong man’ is a girl and if they see my costume beforehand it’s all over.”

“What about Armin?” Historia suggested. They all pondered the psychic’s famous stage fright, complete with tremors. “Actually never mind.”

“You’d kill him,” Ymir said, and Annie had to agree.

“Of course I will,” Eren said, and Annie had only just finished breathing a sigh of relief when Jean interrupted.

“Eren that’s not physically possible. We need to be up on the high wire by the time the lights change after Annie’s act. There’s no time.”

“Ah, you’re right. Sorry Annie.”

Annie was considering just calling the whole act off when she heard her name being called by Erwin Smith, the ringmaster.

“I can’t find anyone, Sir.”

“Don’t worry, Annie,” Erwin smiled at her. “It’s all been organised. You don’t think I’d leave you without a partner, do you?”

“Then who-”

“Boo.”

Annie jumped as she felt warm breath wash across her ear.

“Mikasa?”

“Eren and Jean’s act will give her enough time to get in position with Levi for the trapeze. Don’t worry, it’s all worked out,” Erwin said genially as he strolled off again. “Break a leg, ladies.”

“Uh.” Oh no. Not Mikasa.

Mikasa folded her arms, “So, we should rehearse at least once, right?”

“Look, Mikasa, thanks, but wouldn’t your brother be a better choice?”

“Levi? Why?”

“Well, Bertholt usually carries me out-” Oh shit, no. “Mikasa!” Annie tried to get away but the acrobat pounced on her and hoisted her up over her shoulder while Annie squirmed.

“If you’d stop moving so much, this would be easier,” Mikasa said.

Annie wanted to die. Mikasa’s hand was practically on her arse- “And hup! We go!” Annie automatically went rigid as Mikasa swung her round and lifted her up over her head.

“Fuck,” Annie gritted out as Mikasa took a couple of steps forward before her arms gave out and she staggered down trying to lower Annie gracefully.

“Ow!” Annie landed on her arse. “See?”

“Okay, I can’t carry you like that, but wait.” Mikasa tried to catch her breath. “I could carry you bridal style easy.”

Annie hid her face in her hands. “Mikasa no. Just get Levi.”

Mikasa straightened up. “You really don’t like me,” she said flatly. “I was trying to help. Fine.” She turned and walked away.

Annie sat on the ground, watching her go. Hell. Why do I always screw up?

“Wait!” She scrambled to her feet, and jogged over, circling around so she could see Mikasa’s face. “It’s not.” She looked away, hiding behind her hair. “It’s not like that. I just. If it’s you as my target, I mean.” She looked up into her eyes. “What if I miss? What if I hurt you?”

“Why would you do that? You never miss. You’ve done this act a thousand times.”

“I always screw up around you! Haven’t you noticed?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well, now I feel even more like a screw up.” She stared at her sneakers.

“I could get Levi,” Mikasa said. “But I volunteered, you know.”

“Why?”

Mikasa shrugged. “I never get to see your act. I’m always getting ready to go up top. You look really intense when you’re throwing.”

Annie frowned and looked at her hands, calloused and steady. I can do this.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, let’s rehearse. No, wait. Mikasa I didn’t mean-” She didn’t squirm when Mikasa bent down and lifted her up, one arm under her knees, the other around her back.

“Ahhhh.” She hid her face in her hands again, but this time she was grinning.


	57. Levi/Eren Modern AU 3

It wasn’t that Eren was bad at playing, in fact it was kind of the opposite. Levi had missed the plinking of his guitar through the open window when he’d gone away to college, although he hadn’t exactly said as much.

It was distracting. Levi had to focus. He had meeting with his supervisor in a week and his data sets needed to be perfect. As perfect as Eren’s smile. As perfect as his artlessly tousled hair.

Fuck. He’d started singing.

Levi threw down his pen with more force than was necessary, and it bounced off his keyboard and rolled under the desk.

Levi could practically see him, sitting with his feet on the windowsill, leaning back dangerously far in his chair, his gaze fixed dreamily on the afternoon sky. He’d be wearing shorts in this weather and probably nothing else, or maybe a tank top; he got tan lines on his shoulders in summer and Levi wasn’t sure when he started noticing.

Eren started singing a song Levi had heard a girl on the radio singing–he didn’t really follow popular music but Eren’s voice was high and sweet with longing and he didn’t bother to change the pronouns in the lyrics. Like he was singing it out his window right into Levi’s which faced his across the narrow lane that divided their houses.

Levi couldn’t close the window. The wisp of breeze that drifted in was the only thing keeping him alive. He leaned back in his chair and waited for the song to finish. It was all he could do.

Eren plunked around and Levi picked up his pen and then Eren started singing again. Levi wasn’t sure how much more unrequited love he could handle; he’d had enough.

He got up and leaned out his window, and yeah, there he was, just as imagined, maybe taller and scruffier, his bare feet twitching in time to the music.

“Eren!” Levi called.

The music stopped.

“Yes?”

“Could you? Your singing is very nice but I’m trying to concentrate. Would you stop for now, please?”

Silence and the odd thoughtful plink. “Come over here and make me.” And he sounded _so_ smug, the little shit. Maybe he could blame it on the heat, because he was definitely old enough to know better, but Levi took off his glasses and put them safely on the desk before climbing into the window frame (being short was good for something) and leaping across the gap, right over Eren’s feet and into his window.

“Shit!” Eren had time to throw his guitar over his head onto the bed behind him before Levi crashed into him. This hadn’t been smart, Levi thought as the chair overbalanced and tipped them both onto the floor.

“Eren!” Carla’s voice drifted up. “Are you all right?”

“Yes!” Eren shouted, right in Levi’s ear. “I tipped over my chair!”

Levi didn’t hear Carla’s reply but it sounded like ‘I told you you would.’ Levi couldn’t really hear much but his own heart beating. His hands were either side of Eren’s head and he was straddling his stomach. Eren looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I didn’t think you’d actually, uh.” A thought appeared to occur to him and that silly grin was back. “I mean, you’re over here, but you haven’t actually stopped me yet.”

He took a deep breath and started to sing and Levi finally, and perhaps a bit belatedly kissed him quiet. Eren smiled against his lips and wound his arms around Levi’s neck and if he muttered ‘finally’ Levi pretended he hadn’t heard.


	58. Levi/Eren Wedding Night AU

Levi stared at his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. He wasn’t really prepared for this. He’d never imagined- He looked up as he heard the sound of sloshing water that indicated Eren was done with his bath. If it was anyone else he’d be irritated; he could hear how much had landed on the floor as Eren had stepped out in search of his towel but Eren got away with an awful lot.

Or he was just getting old. He was exhausted. He’d taken off his shoes and coat and hadn’t gotten much further, even though Eren had left most of his clothes strewn around the room, turning a funny shade of pink before declaring he was going to have a bath.

Levi was still watching the door when Eren walked through it, the ends of his hair still curling damply, but no longer dripping at least, and his towel clutched around his waist. Levi spent a few moments just drinking him in, and Eren let him, smiling in a pleased sort of way.

“What do we do now?” Eren asked.

Levi glanced at the bed and then back at Eren. “Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?”

Eren’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Um. Yes, if that’s what you’d like.”

“I would like that.”

Eren grinned and tossed his towel aside, although Levi wasn’t given much time to appreciate the view. Eren took a running leap at the bed and splayed himself across it.

“It’s so nice,” he said, turning his head so he could look at Levi out of the corner of his eye, and when he was sure he had Levi’s attention (when did he not?) he flexed his buttocks. Levi swatted him, and undid the buttons on his cuffs, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

“You are going to get undressed at some point,” Eren said.

“Mm.”  Levi leaned over him, and ran his hands down Eren’s bare back. Eren sighed and made himself comfortable as Levi dug his fingers in. Levi knew what he was doing, as he’d spent many late hours coaxing his own tired muscles to relax, and Eren was soon putty under his hands, making soft little groaning noises when Levi found a tender spot.

“Levi,” Eren mumbled eventually. “‘M gonna fall asleep if you keep that up.”

“Sleep then, it’s been a long day.”

Eren frowned and he reached back with his hand and Levi caught it in his own, their rings clicking together as he laced his fingers in with Eren’s. “But it’s our wedding night.”

“Exactly,” Levi said, brushing strands of hair out of Eren’s face. “We have all the time in the world, now. Sleep, love. There will always be tomorrow.”


	59. Levi/Eren Fake Dating AU

_I think I’ll call him Monsoon, because he’s hot and horrible_ Eren texted.

He waited impatiently for a reply, but Armin had probably been asked to play the piano again. Ever since his grandfather had moved into a retirement village, Armin had spent Thanksgiving with the old folks, playing their piano and generally being charming.

Eren was resorting to liveblogging because this Thanksgiving was …weird. Isabel had a new boyfriend. Eren had heard nothing about this, and he wondered if he should send Farlan some sort of condolences or not; he liked Farlan. This new guy, well, he was certainly a magnetic presence, and as he’d told Armin, pretty fucking hot, but his personality was horrible.

He’d showed up on a motorbike, brought nothing, got into a fight with one of Eren’s more odious uncles about immigration, and said the potatoes were dry and scandalized one of his aunts. He’d been working his way solidly through the free booze and Isabel just cuddled up to him the entire time, beaming happily. Eren couldn’t understand it. What had happened to his sweet little cousin and where had she even met Levi in the first place? He was at least ten years older than her. Every time Eren had tried to ask she’d just laughed and made some excuse to flee the conversation, usually fleeing to Levi’s side. Eren couldn’t bring himself to meet his eyes.

And he kept making shit jokes at the dinnertable. Eren had nearly dropped his glass the first time, and he’d half expected one of his aunts would faint.

_I take it your aunts are sorry they ever badmouthed Farlan_ Armin had got back to him.

_On the bright side he’s distracted them so they’re not bugging me about getting a gf_ Eren tried to look on the bright side. He tried not to think about the fact that Levi’s awful personality implied the sex was spectacular; Eren could believe that. What sort of person wore leather pants to a Thanksgiving dinner anyway?

Feeling over-full and confused Eren took advantage of the post-feast confusion to sneak out for a few minutes, and he stepped out onto the patio.

And came face to face with Levi, who was leaning against the wall, watching the empty garden and smoking.

“Erk!” Eren wondered if he was rude enough to just turn around and go inside.

“Eren, right?” Levi asked. “Isabel mentioned you.”

“She didn’t mention you,” Eren said sharply.

Levi seemed to find that amusing. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice,” he said, his eyes on Eren’s face.

“I think you’re a jerk,” Eren said, his face heating up.

“And that’s why you can’t stop staring at my arse,” he smirked.

“You’re my cousin’s _boyfriend_ ,” Eren hissed through his teeth. God, he had to tell her about this. He couldn’t just stand by and-

“Here,” Levi handed over his phone. “Read this.”

It was a craigslist ad. The service offered was a platonic date to freak out the family over Thanksgiving. Eren read it and then looked at Levi sharply.

“I actually have a job,” Levi said. “And an apartment. And nothing better to do on Thanksgiving.”

“Isabel didn’t break up with Farlan?”

“Nope.”

Eren sighed with relief and handed Levi back his phone. “Thanks for telling me,” he said.

“Isabel said not to try and freak you out, that you were okay.”

“I was checking you out,” Eren admitted, feeling bubbly with relief, and unguarded as a consequence.

“Well, I have to go and flirt with my fake girlfriend right now, but I am free next weekend.”

Eren grinned, and indulged, briefly, in the fantasy of an even more awkward Thanksgiving next year.


	60. Levi/Eren Hanahaki Disease AU: The Summertime Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s pretty common for teenagers to come down with Hanahaki a few times, as if adolescence wasn’t awkward and embarrassing enough. Eren suffers it every summer, but Levi seems to have escaped it entirely, at least until now.

Eren woke up feeling better than he had in weeks. Not a cough. Not a twinge. He lay in bed for a while, cautiously probing his own emotions. Thought about his rippling muscles, his kind smile, his sheer height, and …

Nothing.

Well, Mike was still fucking hot but Eren no longer felt like his life was empty now he’d hooked up with Erwin. Huh, how about that.

Good. Nothing worse than wasting your summer coughing up flowers, he thought, and he swung himself out of bed and went to go and get breakfast.

He texted Levi to make sure he wasn’t stuck working in the sweltering heat of his uncle’s garage, and grabbed his surfboard before going to meet his friend at the beach.

“Good news,” he said, bounding up to where Levi was waiting in the meagre shade of a palm. “I’m over it!” he almost sang.

Levi’s expression softened. “About time. I was sick of having to paddle through all your petals every time Mike showed up to surf.”

“Can you not remind me?” Eren mumbled. He didn’t think there had been a single summer for the last three years in which he wasn’t pining over _someone_. Levi didn’t exactly pick on him for it but Levi had never suffered from it himself and he was just ever so slightly smug about it. He didn’t seem to get pimples either.

Levi had very fair skin and he’d been coating himself in zinc when Eren arrived.

“Waves are shit today,” he observed. The sea was flat and calm, only lazy breakers, good for swimming in, rolled towards the shore.

“Wanna see if we can make it out to the reef instead?” Eren asked. Now he wasn’t in danger of throwing up all the time he was feeling more adventurous.

“All right.”

Waves or not it turned out to be one of those perfect summer days that seemed to stretch on forever. They spent most of the morning exploring the reef, and paddled back to have hamburgers and chips for lunch, the great big old fashioned kind they still served at the milk bar just a block from the water.

They found their friends, and swam and a game of beach cricket late in the afternoon turned into a bonfire that lasted until late.

Even Levi was relaxed enough to be a bit more social than usual, and they ended up dragging themselves home yawning and slightly sunburnt through almost deserted streets, the concrete under their feet finally starting to cool down.

“Hey,” Eren said, when they paused to split up.

“Hm?” Levi looked dead on his feet, his board under his arm.

“I know they say, like, your teenage years suck, and uni is much better, but I think I’m going to miss this.” Eren looked up at the stars. “It’s hard to believe things could get better.” He laughed, “Now I’m not coughing up roses all the time anyway.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess.” Levi was staring at him like he’d sprouted an extra head.

Eren felt a bit sheepish. “Well, um, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Eren hurried off, sure he could feel Levi’s gaze on the back of his head.

The next morning Eren was woken up by an urgent tapping on his window. He’d kept it shut to keep the air conditioning in and when he opened it, after seeing a rather stressed looking Levi standing on the lawn outside, a wave of warm air floated in despite the early hour.

“Levi?”

“Let me in,” Levi said covering his mouth with one hand as he scrambled in the window. He coughed and dug out a handkerchief with his free hand, spitting into it.

“Are you okay?” Eren blinked, still standing there in his boxers.

Levi stared at him. “I'mgonnabesick,” he said, and dashed out of the room. Eren threw on a shirt and followed the sound of retching.

“Levi?” he called softly. His parents were probably still asleep, and the house itself was still cool and quiet. He heard the lock unclick and Eren took that as an invitation and stepped into the bathroom. The sink was full of flower petals.

Oh.

Levi was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, and Eren knelt down beside him.

“Oh man.”

“Shut up, this sucks.”

Eren heaved a sigh, and patted him on the back. “It’s pretty horrible the first time it happens,” he said. “But it gets easier.”

“I don’t want to get used to this,” Levi rasped.

“Well, who is it?” Eren asked, wondering what sort of person could capture Levi’s attention. He’d always seemed so disinterested in that sort of thing; it made him seem oddly mature, even when they’d first met.

Levi merely shrugged. “It started last night after I went to bed.”

“Yeah, that’s when you start really thinking about people. But you don’t know who it is?”

“It doesn’t matter! It’s one-sided so what’s even the point?”

“Didn’t you always encourage me to ask them out? You never know, they might like you back. Hm, I guess it was someone at the beach last night. Did you meet anyone new?”

“No. I hate meeting new people.”

He looked so miserable, Eren couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for him. He nudged him gently. “Hey, cheer up. I’ll help you through it.”

Levi stared at him and then his shoulders shook as he coughed up a handful of what looked like white daisy petals. He looked so furious as he tried to sweep them up Eren found himself biting back a smile.

“You think this is funny.” Levi scowled.

“A little,” Eren said. “Come on, it’s not gonna kill you.”

“Ugh. I have work today. I just hope Kenny doesn’t notice. I gotta go.”

“I’ll come by later,” Eren said. “We can get lunch.”

“Yeah.”

Once Levi had gone Eren ambled downstairs to make himself breakfast. He felt a bit weird about the whole thing. He’d always assumed—well, that was uncharitable, wasn’t it? Levi was entitled to find people attractive, to want to date, but the flower petals were more than that. That indicated full on lovelorn and Eren should be sort of happy for him, he supposed. He had to be a good friend and not make this stranger than it already was.

He couldn’t help but be a bit glad Levi didn’t seem to know who it was, it meant, well, it was kind of unlikely the feelings would be returned which sounded horrible in Eren’s head but he just didn’t want to give up his best friend for the rest of the summer.

That’s all, he thought.

Eren spent the morning in front of the PlayStation and around the time Kenny usually let Levi leave he was waiting in the park across the street from the garage, watching an exhausted looking butterfly flap its way around some dusty flowers. He didn’t envy Levi working in the un-airconditioned workshop all morning.

Levi emerged, in shorts and a shirt, his arms still damp and gleaming from where he’d done his best to scrub off the sweat and grease of the morning in the sink at the back of the shop.

“Hey,” he ambled up, and Eren could see him fighting back a cough.

“Still no good?” he asked.

“It’s bullshit,” Levi scowled. “Insult to injury right? At least Kenny seemed to think I was just trying to act sick to get out of work.”

“Still don’t know who it is?” Eren asked cautiously.

Levi shrugged. “Who cares? It’s not like I’m looking for a date. What do I have to offer anyone anyway?”

Now that would just not stand. “What do you mean?” Eren asked, bristling.

Levi sighed and started ticking things off on his fingers. “I have no money, average grades, I’m probably not going to apply for uni, no car, my family is poor, I have a terrible attitude and I’m fucking short.” On the last item his hand clenched into a fist.

“That’s not-” Eren shook his head. “None of that shit matters, Levi. You’re nice, and kind. And, well, clean, and strong, and good with animals, and brave, I mean you stood up to those guys in grade nine-, and you’re um.” Eren sensed things were getting away from him and he reeled them back in. “A great surfer and a wonderful friend,” he finished, staring at his sandalled feet.

Levi sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself. Let’s talk about something else. What do you want for lunch?”

They went to the shopping centre to eat, and to pass the hottest part of the day, drifting around the games store, and talking with their friends; there were very few other places to hang out, after all, so familiar faces were abundant. Eren watched closely for any sign of who Levi might be pining after, but he didn’t seem to treat anyone any differently.

In fact, as the day wore on and they went to the beach to swim before dusk, Eren noticed that Levi seemed to be getting better. He didn’t cough much at all, and after a sprint for the gents over lunch he hadn’t been sick either.

Eren didn’t mention it; sometimes being distracted helped the symptoms, but he was starting to think Levi’s mysterious infatuation was ending; it was probably some sort of record, but Levi was quietly extraordinary in a great many ways.

Eren was a little relieved. They bid each other farewell on dusk, and Eren went home for dinner. Carla’s car was in the garage, but unsurprisingly his father wasn’t home yet.

Eren had a shower to wash of the sea salt, and he thought about Levi. He would have expected the experience to bring them closer together as friends, but instead they seemed even more distant. Maybe he should have done more to help but there hadn’t been much he could have done. It had all gone away by itself.

Eren sighed.

He ate dinner with his mum at the kitchen table, although he had trouble concentrating on it.

He sighed.

“Eren.”

“Hm?”

“You’re not coming down with it again, are you? Didn’t you just get over someone?” Carla asked kindly.

“I’m not-” Eren paused. The ache in his chest _was_ very familiar, the listlessness, and the fact that he couldn’t go five minutes without sighing. But he wasn’t coughing, didn’t feel sick, even when he thought fiercely about his best friend, his rare, shy smiles and his broad shoulders. He definitely should be-

“Oh god.” Eren stood up abruptly. “That awkward idiot why didn’t he _say_ -” Okay well, Eren hadn’t been planning on saying anything either. “I gotta go!” he said.

“Where?” Carla asked, as Eren dumped his empty plates in the dishwasher and nervously combed his fingers through his hair.

“Levi’s house,” he called, and was out the door, the screen banging shut behind him.

He jogged across town, away from the beach, not giving himself time to be nervous. Levi and his mother lived in a little weatherboard house with a neat garden, and Eren paused to catch his breath at the gate, catching a glimpse of Levi’s shy cat quietly slipping away to hide in a neighbour’s yard.

When Eren knocked on the door Kuchel answered.

“Hi Ms Ackerman,” he said. “Can I see Levi?”

“Hello, Eren.” She smiled. “I’ll get him for you. Levi!” she called. “Eren is here!”

Eren stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet while he waited. Levi emerged drying his hands and Kuchel said something about finishing the washing up for him.

“Take your time, boys.”

“What’s up?” Levi asked and he seemed quite calm now he wasn’t sicking up flowers, which really didn’t help.

“Well, um.” God I hope I’m right about this, Eren thought. Levi was just too good at hiding his feelings, but Eren was sure of his own. He had to be. “I like you too!”

Levi stared at him.

“Um, that is,” Eren said a bit desperately, his heart pounding.

Levi smiled at him. “Thanks, Eren.”

“Thanks?”

“Yeah.” He heaved a sigh. “I suck at this stuff.” He put his hands on Eren’s shoulders and pulled him down and Eren’s stomach lurched like he was really falling, and Levi kissed him. He kissed him badly, awkwardly, all teeth and uncertainty and Eren wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back.

Eren rested his forehead against Levi’s and grinned so hard his face started to ache. And he’d thought only a day ago that his summer couldn’t get any better.


	61. Levi/Eren Australian AU: Three Crocodiles, Two Stranded Strangers and a Cyclone for Christmas Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has precious if somewhat unnerving cargo, Levi’s mother worries (that her son needs a boyfriend) and neither of them are getting home in time for Christmas.

The palm trees were whipping back and forth in the wind when Eren arrived at the airport, spots of rain hitting him like bullets. It seemed oddly empty for Christmas Eve. He slung his bags on top of the wooden box and wheeled the whole lot into the terminal, fighting the wind all the way.

He needed to check his cargo in at the freight terminal first, but the place was so small there was only one entrance. And no one was about. Eren’s trolley squeaked to a stop as he patted his pockets down for his flight details. God he hoped he hadn’t messed up. His phone had slid out of his pocket and into some very muddy water two days ago, and he was only lucky his supervisor insisted on printing everything out for him.

He’d found a payphone in one of the pubs the night before, and called his family to know he’d be getting in Christmas night, if at all-where _was_ everyone?

The lounge was quite small, just a few tables and benches near the windows overlooking the airport. As Eren watched, a palm frond skidded across the landing strip and he could hear the wind starting to howl in the power lines outside. There was one person in the waiting area; a short guy in jeans and a shirt, a couple of bags at his feet and his phone clamped to his ear.

“Mum, mum! Please calm down. It’s fine. I’m in the airport. It’s rated so I don’t need to evacuate. Rather be here than crammed into some tin shed with a bunch of sweaty-”

Eren edged forward. “Um, excuse me, mate?”

“What? What’s Kenny’s boat got to do with it? This is completely different. For a start, I’m not actually in the middle of the ocean, and the old bastard survived, didn’t he?”

“Excuse me!”

“Alone? Um, well.” The man turned around, finally, looking about the deserted terminal and his eyes lit on Eren. “Nope, there’s some other poor fucker stuck here too. What?” He held his phone out. “Say hello,” he commanded.

“Hello?” Eren bent forward and said into the device.

The stranger snatched it away before Eren got a response. “See? Is he what? Aww, _Mum_.” The stranger eyed him off again, this time a little more closely and then flicked his gaze away.

“A little. Honestly, do you ever give up? Look, I’ll call you back. Don’t watch the news! It’ll just upset you.”

He hung up and ran his free hand over his head.

“Where is everyone?” Eren asked. “I need to catch a flight. And declare my crocodiles.”

“What?” He shook his head. “Kid, there aren’t any flights. There’s a cyclone coming, didn’t you notice? Every aircraft from here to Darwin’s been grounded.”

Eren would have objected to the ‘kid’ comment, although his companion, now that he looked closely was probably older than he originally thought, but he had more pressing issues.

“There are no flights?”

“Not one. Sorry. Bit shit for Christmas Eve.” He actually looked a bit sympathetic.

“What do I do now?” Eren asked.

“Head to the nearest shelter or stay here. I’ve been told it’s safe. Do you really have crocodiles?”

Eren shifted his bag off the box and unlatched the lid. Rather cautiously, the stranger peered in.

“They’re just babies,” Eren said, as the three reptiles, a bit of tape around their jaws to hold them shut, moved sluggishly over the hessian sacks at the bottom of the box.

“Will they be okay?”

“Well, yeah they don’t really need food for now. I need to douse them with water if they’re gonna be stuck in there for more than half a day though. I can’t take 'em to a shelter. All the people might stress them more.”

“Do you farm them?”

“No, these are wild caught. I’m doing a PhD in marine biology at James Cook.” Eren grinned, proud as always to be able to say that. “I’m Eren.”

He held his hand out and the stranger shook it, callouses rough under Eren’s palm.

“Levi. I’m a Jackaroo. I was going home for Christmas, although there’s not much chance of that now. How did you not know a cyclone was coming?” As he spoke a gust of wind buffeted the building, and howled through an unseen gap somewhere above them. Rain washed against the windows.

“My phone’s dead. I didn’t know,” Eren shrugged. “Any of this.”

“Do you need to call home?” Levi asked.

“Yeah, and the university. Is there are pay phone around here?”

“Just use mine,” Levi said.

By the time Eren had called his mother and his university to let them both know that he and his crocodiles were indefinitely delayed, the storm had worsened. Levi sat slouched in one of the chairs, watching the rain outside while Eren talked. Eren observed him quietly while apologising to his family for his delay.

There could be worse people to be stuck with, he decided. Levi might be short but he was stocky, and Eren decided he liked the way he filled out his shirt and jeans, his work-boots occasionally tapping against the floor.

He’d just finished making his calls when the phone in Eren’s hand rang, and he answered it without thinking.

“Hello?”

“Who is this? Where is Levi?” A female voice with a slight, unplacable accent said into his ear. “Is he hurt?”

“No, no! He’s fine. I’m just borrowing his phone I’m stuck in the airport with him.” Levi had looked up by this point and Eren stood to hand the phone back. “I’ll just put him on.”

“What’s your name?” she, presumably Levi’s mother, asked him.

“Eren.”

“How old are you, Eren?”

“Um, twenty-two.”

“Are you single?”

Eren spluttered at this. By this point Levi was standing next to him, waiting to get the phone back and at Eren’s expression pulled it out of his hand.

“Mum! What did you say to hi- Mum, no. Look, I swear I am fine, but if you keep calling it will drain the batteries. Yes, we still have power for now. Well, there’s a bar here. I’m sure there’s food as well. Worst to worst we can eat Eren’s crocodiles—that was a joke. Yes, but they’re in a box. Geeze, Mum, they’re very tiny crocodiles and if they get out I’m sure Eren can handle them. I’ll call you back.”

He frowned and hung up, and wouldn’t quite meet Eren’s eyes. It was a bit at odds with his weathered tough-guy exterior and Eren thought it rather endearing. “Sorry about that. Mum keeps trying to find me a boyfriend.”

Oh. Eren took a deep breath. “Yeah, mine always asks me the same thing when I get home for holidays. She uh, hasn’t resorted to picking guys up in airports for me yet though.”

Levi snorted. “Wait 'til you’re my age.” That look again, up and down and right through his clothes. “Not that I expect you’ll still be single at my age.”

“You don’t look that old to me,” Eren said. Lightning split the sky and a bit of chipboard splatted against the window, making them both jump. “We should get away from that,” Eren said, a bit nervously.

“You ever been in a cyclone before?” Levi asked.

“No. It’s a bit exciting,” Eren said, his heart pounding for all sorts of reasons. “Will we be okay?”

Levi didn’t answer for a moment, looking like he was considering teasing him, but in the end he just shrugged and said, “Yeah. But you can hold my hand if you’re nervous.”

Eren didn’t reply, busying himself with moving his gear somewhere safer, but his fingertips were tingling with anticipation and he couldn’t quite keep the smile off his face.


	62. (nsfw) Levi/Eren Rock Star AU: I Only Have Eyes For You

Despite what Jean had claimed all through high school, Eren was not joined to Mikasa at the hip. Armin’s scholarship had included accommodation, so it made sense for the other two members of their trio to share a flat and living expenses. But they didn’t keep tabs on each other; they were were doing different majors and going to college had broadened both friends’ circles.

So Eren barely looked up when he heard the front door close and two sets of footsteps in the hall. He was concentrating. Astrophysics was hard, dammit, and not being a natural genius like the rest of his class seemed to be sometimes, Eren had to work at it to keep his marks up.

His brain skittered to an abrupt halt when he heard a deep, familiar voice answer Mikasa.

Oh.

It wasn’t one of Mikasa’s karate club friends. It was her brother.

Eren suspected having a painful crush on a hot and unavailable older guy was just part of the experience of growing up queer, and Levi was his. A big handful of years older than Mikasa and Eren, they were never really close, but during his adolescence Eren got to see him a few times a year, an opportunity to pine gently over Levi’s broad shoulders and high cheekbones.

Eren had never done anything about it. He figured once they were both at least college age he’d ask Levi out if he was still single, and if he had the guts to, but Levi hadn’t gone to college. Instead he’d taken his high school rock band to the top of the charts and stayed there and Eren wondered if this was the universe’s idea of a practical joke.

It had been almost a year since he’d last seen Levi in the flesh. Eren had watched the music videos as they were released on youtube, and he might have seen a few interviews as well. He wasn’t an obsessive fan or anything, but he had a personal interest.

Levi sounded grumpy. Well, he always sounded grumpy but Eren flattered himself that he could tell regular grumpy from actually annoyed and this sounded like the latter, Levi’s boots clumping in the hall.

Shit. Eren normally had warning; he’d nerve himself up and calm himself down before seeing Levi, presenting a cool, polite exterior and not making an idiot of himself. Levi probably had people falling over him all the time, and Eren didn’t want to be just another fan.

“It was a stupid gimmick anyway,” Levi said loudly. “Getting rid of it is overdue.”

“You don’t sound convinced.” They’d been shopping, or Mikasa had been; Eren could hear the rustling of bags in the kitchen. “Do you want some tea?”

“Maybe later.”

Eren didn’t mean to eavesdrop but he found himself staying put rather than going out and saying hello, staring blankly at the numbers on his screen without seeing them, all thoughts of homework gone.

“They’re a pain to keep in place, and Hange and Mike can’t wait to get rid of them. Erwin says he can keep his hype train running for six months on the reveal alone, and then lead up to the next album.”

“How’s that going?”

“All right. It’s not going to be as good as First Album though. This thing’s throwing me off.”

“What’s wrong, Levi?”

Eren only realised he was tipping back in his chair to hear better when he nearly tipped it right over, grabbing the edge of the table just in time to stop himself falling.

“Nobody recognises me, the way things are now. I can go through airports or whatever, and I might get some odd looks, but no one who sees my face uncovered thinks I’m a rock star. I’m going to miss that. I don’t want to be famous on my days off.”

“Well, could you wear something else instead of the bandages?” Mikasa suggested. “Like sunglasses or something?”

“Indoors? I don’t think so.”

Eren would describe the shuffling that followed as ‘dejected.’ He was even more glad he’d never told Levi he was a fan, given his attitude towards them now. He wondered if he should try and take down his posters in case Levi saw his room. Not that that was likely

“Well you won’t know until you try. Take a chair into the bathroom,” Mikasa said.

Wait what? He’d been caught up in his guilty feelings that he’d clearly missed an important part of the conversation. He heard footsteps and furniture scraping and he ducked behind his door as they went into the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door.

What was going on? He couldn’t hear them talking now, not actual words anyway, but it sounded like they were bickering in that low-key way that people who didn’t know them well tended to find intimidating.

It’s not my business, Eren told himself firmly, and scowled at his homework. Focus!

He couldn’t focus. Eventually he gave up even trying and idly browsed while he waited for Mikasa and Levi to do whatever they were doing in there.

“Just leave it for a little while, don’t be hasty.” Mikasa was coming back down the hall, sounding irritated. Levi didn’t follow; he was still in the bathroom.

Eren’s nerve cracked. He’d just stroll past and take a quick look and pretend he was on his way to the linen closet.

Eren tiptoed along the hall and peered around the bathroom’s open door. Levi’s hands were resting on the edge of the sink as he leaned forward to glare at himself in the mirror. Eren had intended to snatch a quick glance and flee before Mikasa came back, but he was frozen in place.

She’d made him up, and not lightly either, the grey of his eyes practically glowing amidst the swirls of black and blue. It made the rest of his face look paler; she’d only done his eyes, after all, and Eren stared. He didn’t see Levi’s eyes often; the bandages always covered most of them when he was performing.

Levi sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “Still looks like me, just with crap on my face,” he muttered. “If I tell a crowd to get on their knees is anyone going to fucking listen to me?”

“I would,” Eren said, and flinched as Levi whirled around to look at him, startled.

“What?” Levi asked sounding a bit strangled.

Shit. This wasn’t how Eren imagined confessing, but he’d got this far, and he couldn’t back out now. He licked his lips nervously.

“I’d get on my knees,” he said. “For you. I’m sure heaps of people would,” Eren felt honour-bound to add. “You look good, Levi.”

His gaze was so intense. Levi was looking him up and down, like he’d never seen him before, and Eren’s knees were starting to feel weak. At this rate he’d be on them whether Levi asked him to be or not.

Levi drew breath to answer when Mikasa appeared at Eren’s side.

“I got the makeup remover…” she trailed off, looking from one to the other. “Okay.” She couldn’t have missed the atmosphere, thick as treacle. She had to know about Eren’s crush, but thankfully she’d never raised the issue or hinted at an opinion one way or the other on it. Levi glanced at her and then back at Eren. Something of his usual presence had returned, his shoulders squared again, and his limbs loose.

She put the wipes in Eren’s hand. “I’m going out,” she said. “Text me if or when you decide to get food. Be nice to each other, or else.” And with that she turned on her heel and left. Eren flinched when he heard the front door close.

Was that… permission? Approval? Did Levi like him too?

Levi was kind. He’d never have been silent for so long if his answer was going to be 'no.’ He’d always been brutally honest, and endearingly awkward, and Eren wondered if the whole bandages thing had been his idea in the first place, to hide from the audience he snarled at so forcefully.

“Um, do you want these?” Eren held out the wipes.

“Do you think I should take this stuff off?” Levi asked.

Eren shook his head. “But I might be biased.”

“So it seems.” Levi stepped forward, and took the object out of Eren’s hand. “You heard all that shit earlier, I suppose.”

“Most of it. I don’t really blame you for not wanting people to recognise you. But.” Deep breath. “I don’t think you’re going to disappoint anyone.”

“Biased.” But there was a hint of a smile on his face.

“Guilty.” Eren bit his lip and grinned. This was fun, in a high-flying, free-falling sort of way. Nothing quite stated, nothing decided. “I missed you, Levi. It’s been too long.”

“Clearly. You’ve put on like a foot of height since I saw you last.”

“We all have to grow up sometime,” he shrugged.

“You did a pretty good job,” Levi said, and grown up or not, Eren felt his cheeks burn at the compliment, handed to him with a sideways look. Levi tossed the wipes onto the sink. “Can we not do this in the bathroom?” he asked. “It’s weird as fuck.”

“Yeah. Um, come in,” Eren led the way to his bedroom and had taken a half step in when he caught a glimpse of all his posters and wheeled about, walking right into Levi and biting his tongue as he tried to say he’d changed his mind.

It was too late though. Levi’s arms had gone up automatically when Eren had turned into him, and had caught him under the elbows, but his dazzling eyes were looking over Eren’s shoulder at his room.

This close Eren could see the Mikasa’s artistry, the flecks of glitter on Levi’s upper eyelid. He smelled of airports and air conditioning and soap, and he was still grasping Eren’s arms.

“I remember when you had spaceships all over your walls,” he said, amused.

“I’ve still got some!” Eren said defensively, but unable to move away.

Levi was looking at the No Name posters. “You know if you like this crap you should have said something and I’d have got you some for free.”

“I wanted to support you guys, and, well, I didn’t want you to think I was just another fan,” he mumbled.

“Eren, you’re not just another fan, I promise you,” Levi said, and Eren met his eyes again. “You know what I’m really like.”

“I like you on stage, too,” Eren said, feeling bolder.

Levi smirked, “What, you like me telling everyone to get on their knees?”

Eren looked at him for a long moment, and then he got the satisfaction of making Levi’s eyes widen in surprise as he sank down out of his grasp.

“Jesus, Eren,” Levi breathed, as Eren looked up at him, his knees on the rather dusty carpet of his bedroom either side of Levi’s boots. “You sure about this?”

“You’re going away again soon, aren’t you?” Eren said, reaching up and stroking the outside of Levi’s denim-clad thighs, feeling rock hard muscle beneath.

“Yeah, I fly out tomorrow but, hang on.” He cupped Eren’s chin and bent down to kiss him, and Eren was pretty sure the funny noise was coming from his own throat. Levi didn’t kiss hard, or even that well, awkward angle and all, but Eren’s heart was pounding as he tilted his head up and leaned in. “Didn’t feel right not to kiss you first,” Levi breathed when he pulled back.

“Yeah.” Eren pressed his smile to Levi’s leg as Levi stood up again. He didn’t think Levi did this sort of thing often because he was looking rather wide-eyed, and Eren grinned. He was so lucky.

He sat up on his heels and Levi’s fingers played distractingly with his hair as he worked on Levi’s belt. He was having trouble breathing, which didn’t bode well for what he intended to do next, but Levi’s jeans were tight and getting tighter and Eren felt like he was in one of those dreams (although they usually took place backstage rather than his bedroom.)

If he woke up now he was going to cry, he decided, but he didn’t wake up.

Instead he unzipped Levi’s jeans and he heard Levi’s sigh of relief but he didn’t look to see what kind of expression he was making, because he had Levi’s thickening cock in his hands, and he pulled it out of Levi’s pants gently, teeth scraping on his lower lip.

He was probably perfect, Eren decided, unable to keep from rubbing his face against the soft skin of it, feeling a smear of precome drying cool on his cheek. He couldn’t smell airports now, just Levi, soap and musk and slick and he closed his eyes, turning his head to kiss along the length of it, back up to the tip, while Levi let out a shaky breath above him. His hands were still in Eren’s hair, but he wasn’t doing anything with them. If Eren wanted him to pull, to fuck his mouth how he liked, he’d probably have to give him explicit permission to do so.

Later. Please let there be a later, Eren thought, as he took a breath, opened his mouth and slid Levi’s cock past his lips as far as it would go, pausing only when it hit the back of his mouth. He wasn’t going to pretend he was particularly practised at this, hoping his enthusiasm would make up for any deficiencies in his technique.

So wrapped a hand around the base, and sucked, drawing his head back slowly with a happy hum, and when he opened his eyes, the head still resting on his tongue, he was rewarded with Levi’s hair falling past his eyes as he curled himself down, his cheeks flushed and his mouth hanging open slightly.

“Hm?” Eren gazed up at him, trying to look as innocent as possible with a dick in his mouth.

“Ffuuck, Eren.”

Now there’s something he’d never heard Levi’s voice do, all ragged and nothing like his usual self at all, and Eren surged forward again, squeezing and sucking and he was rewarded by Levi’s hips snapping forward slightly. Eren closed his eyes and rocked himself back and forth on Levi’s cock, concentrating on nothing but the weight of it in his mouth, keeping his lips tucked over his teeth even as he felt spit start to gather at the corner of his mouth and drip down his chin.

Levi didn’t tell him it was gross, not slipperiness of his hand or the noises he made as he sucked, he just rubbed his fingertips on Eren’s scalp and breathed, harsher and harder. Eren could taste when he was close, precome leaking down the back of his throat, and his lips numbly aching from the friction, despite all the spit.

He braced himself, eyes closed and face screwed up in an anticipatory grimace and he wasn’t really surprised when Levi came quietly, whimpering a bit and clutching at Eren’s head as he sucked him through it, pulling him away when it got too much.

Eren’s knees were aching, and he gratefully accepted Levi’s help in getting to his feet, the circulation starting to go. He stumbled forward, not entirely accidentally, into Levi’s arms and Levi caught him, leaning on him slightly and catching his breath.

“Didn’t even close the fucking door,” Levi panted.

They would have heard if Mikasa had returned, Eren thought. Probably. “Didn’t even get a condom either.” Had forgotten they existed.

“Yeah, well, uh, I’m.” Levi shrugged. “I don’t think you need to worry.” He smiled at him, a bit awkward and Eren just had to kiss him and Levi kissed him back, despite the mess he’d made of his mouth, his hands running down Eren’s back.

Eren pressed himself up against Levi’s body, nudging his erection against Levi’s stomach. Fuck being polite; he’d just sucked him off. Levi smiled against his lips and belatedly kicked the door shut behind them, before spinning them around and shoving Eren up against it.

“I didn’t want to mess up your posters,” Levi said, drawing back from mouthing at Eren’s neck. “But I see you’ve got one here as well.”

Eren squirmed between the wall and Levi’s body with embarrassment. He knew which one was there; it was his favourite, but he kept it hidden behind the door for good reason. It wasn’t official merch; it had been for a photoshoot for a magazine that Eren had managed to track down a poster of, Levi sprawled in a wicker chair by window, one foot up on the sill, the other flat on the floor, in nothing but his jeans and the trademark bandages across his face, head lolling back, sunlight pouring across his lips. If his house was burning down, that poster was one of the things Eren would try and save.

“Mm, you’re very cute,” Levi mumbled, and nudged Eren’s legs apart with his knee before grinding his hip up against Eren’s cock. He’d done that move on stage, Eren though fuzzily as he rolled his hips forward in response, swinging his hips against empty air while the crowd had screamed.

Eren understood why, biting his lips as he clutched Levi to him, Levi’s lips at his neck and ear while Eren rocked helplessly against him. He couldn’t last; he had Levi fucking Ackerman frotting him up against his bedroom door and just the thought of it, never mind the taste of him in his teeth and the reality of him in his arms, was more than enough. But it was hard to come, squashed awkwardly in his jeans, and by the end he was trembling, sobbing for it.

“You’re gonna get me hard again,” Levi rumbled, and Eren could feel he was partway there, flies still undone, cock nudging a bit more boldly against his leg and Eren moaned, stifling himself against Levi’s neck as he came, fingers clutching at Levi’s back.

Levi held him up for a while, as Eren felt his own come trickle down his balls and soak into his clothes.

“You need a shower,” Levi said. “I need a shower. I need to get this crap off my face; no use as a disguise if I wear it around normally.”

“Share?” Eren asked hopefully, raising his head.

Levi snuck a kiss on his nose. “No. You go first. I’ll text Mikasa and see what she wants to do for dinner.”

“Mmm.”

“My treat.”

“Perks of banging a rock star,” Eren mumbled.

“Eren,” Levi cupped his jaw. “This isn’t going to be easy, you and me.”

“I know. But if it all goes horribly wrong Mikasa will kill us both for hurting the other so, uh there’s that, I guess.”

Levi sagged. “This dinner is going to be so fucking awkward.”

Eren covered his hand with his own. “I’ll be there too. Awkwardness shared is awkwardness halved, right?”

Levi looked at him for a few moments and then stepped away. “Go and shower!” he commanded. “If you just stand there being adorable I won’t be held responsible for my actions. How you’re so happy about this shit is beyond me,” he mumbled, looking happier than Eren could ever remember seeing him.


	63. Erwin/Eren Pacific Rim AU

Eren looked out over the mess, holding his tray carefully, the heat seeping through the metal into his fingers. Plenty of faces looked back at him, but he didn’t see the one he was looking for.

Not surprising.

He turned and left, still carrying his meal, half inclined to go back to his quarters, but he found his feet carrying him to the viewing platform overlooking the hangar. Somehow, he knew Erwin would be there.

No, not somehow.

He was sitting on the edge, his half-eaten meal on a tray next to him, just staring out at the activity below. He turned his head slightly when Eren came to a halt a few feet away.

“Do you want to be alone?” Eren asked.

“I’m never alone,” Erwin said. He tapped his temple with his finger. “He’s still in here.” Erwin turned further to look at him and inclined his head. “Sit, if you want.”

Eren sat, balancing his tray on his thighs and starting to eat. He was hungry, even if Erwin wasn’t. Erwin’s food had cooled and congealed, otherwise he might have asked for his leftovers.

“Why’d you let me win the last point?” Erwin asked.

“I didn’t let you win,” Eren said, frowning and crunching firmly on a hash brown.

“You lowered your staff.”

“I was blocking!”

“There was nothing to block.”

Eren looked at him and his gaze dropped to Erwin’s empty right sleeve. “I knew,” he licked his lips. “You were attacking with your right arm. Instinct.” A shower of sparks caught his attention and he looked out over the hangar again. “You know we’re drift compatible.”

“It doesn’t matter, I don’t have a right arm.”

“I’ll be your right arm,” Eren said stubbornly. “You know I can do it. Levi thinks you can pilot again. He went halfway around the world to fetch you back.”

“That may be so, but he’s certainly not enthusiastic about you being my co-pilot.”

Eren couldn’t argue with that. But. “He’ll come around. He has no choice. The end of the world is coming. He can’t protect me any longer. I have to fight.” He stared at Rogue Titan, almost longingly. He realised Erwin was watching him and he met his gaze boldly, trying to impress upon him that he wasn’t afraid of sharing whatever pain the older pilot carried. He could do it. He had to.

“I suppose we could try.”

Eren beamed, and he already knew Erwin well enough not to help him to his feet.


	64. Levi/Eren High School AU

Eren couldn’t say he’d exactly _met_ Levi. Not to speak to, not really. When he and his friends had entered high school, Levi was already there, preceded by a bad reputation and trailed by that weird nonbinary kid with the glasses whom he tolerated for some reason.

Mikasa said they were cousins, and the resemblance was surprisingly close, so close that on that first day she’d been asked half a dozen times if Levi was her brother. A group of giggling girls had practically pushed Mikasa (and by extension Eren) into Levi’s path, and Mikasa had politely said hello to him.

He’d blanked her. Looked at her like she hadn’t existed, and Eren had less than existed, and stepped around her without a word. Eren had drawn breath to chastise him, regardless of his freshman status, when Levi had turned and pinned him with a look that had the words dying in his throat.

So. Levi. Utter jerk, but source of fascination for the whole school. Eren tried to avoid him; he’d got in trouble enough for fighting in primary. He was trying to mend his ways and his grades, and trouble seemed to follow Levi around.

His uncle had been to jail, apparently, and the story was Levi himself ran the business until he got back out. Levi himself only answered to teachers, and even then barely, his uniform worn in a weirdly formal style, so aggressively neat it was practically a provocation in and of itself.

They said he wore it like that to cover up his gang tattoos. Eren found himself thinking about that sometimes as he got taller and Levi got broader.

One freezing October, when Levi was in senior year, Eren was heading home from his part time job and saw Levi crouched in an alleyway, doing something furtive. Eren ducked behind a wall, not wanting to be seen, and wondered what he was up to.

He heard a plaintive wail and he risked glancing around the corner. He saw Levi lift a small furry bundle and tuck it into his coat.

Now, Eren loved many things, and animals were one of them. He could only guess what sort of awful things Levi was going to do to the poor thing. When Levi scurried off, Eren followed, bristling with righteous rage.

Levi practically jogged home, and Eren nearly lost him a couple of times, trying to stay out of sight. This was a bad neighborhood; no place for a nice middle-class high-schooler, but Eren tugged his beanie further down around his ears and trudged on.

The house Levi entered was no better. There were cars parked, or rusting away, in the front yard, and boxes piled with empty bottles near the front steps. Eren heard low voices and rough male laughter, and he crouched down behind the sagging fence and wondered what to do next.

He saw a light go on upstairs, and guessed that room was Levi’s. He heard Levi’s voice a little while later talking to the men in the front room. Now or never, Eren thought, and he snuck down between the fence and the cars until he was around the side of the house. The paint was flaking off the weatherboard, and he could smell greasy food.

But the windows were above each other, and close enough that he thought he could climb them if he was careful. He took off his bag and shoes; despite the cold he needed grip, and up he went. It was almost as easy as it looked, until he realised the window was locked. The room beyond it was incredibly neat and tidy, the bed made, and in the middle of the worn bedspread, a small ginger kitten.

I’ll save you, Eren thought fiercely, and braced himself with one arm on the windowsill and started levering the old fashioned catch open. He knew how because Armin’s windows were the same; there was a trick to it, and all you needed was a screwdriver-

He managed to jam the window open just as Levi walked back into the room, holding a glass of milk. They stared at each other, wide eyed, and then Eren let out a squeak of fear as his numbed toes slipped off the top of the window of the floor below.

He didn’t fall. Levi had seized him under the arm, still holding the glass with his other hand, and Eren tried to wriggle free, sure he was going to be killed. At least if he dropped he’d have a chance to run.

Levi didn’t let him go. He set the glass down and grabbed him with both hands, his face white with fury as he hauled him effortlessly up and into the room, Eren’s knees hitting the floor with a painful thump as Levi stood over him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not spying, I’m not stealing, I swear, let me go please don’t-”

Levi clapped his hand across Eren’s mouth. He smelled like soap. “Please, just stop talking.” It might have been the first words Levi had ever said to him. “Are you going to be quiet?” he hissed.

Eren nodded. Levi cautiously took his hand away although he didn’t release him just yet.

Levi listened for a while, presumably to see if his uncle had heard anything, then he relaxed a bit, his grip on Eren’s arm loosening. ”If Kenny catches us we’re both fucked,” he said lowly. “You’re Mikasa’s friend. What are you doing here?”

“I’m Eren.” He lifted his head. “I’m not going to let you hurt that cat.”

Levi turned, apparently having almost forgotten the creature. “I’m not gonna hurt it, but if Kenny finds it he might.”

“Then why did you take it?”

“I’m going to take it to the shelter tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Eren was starting to feel a bit bad.

Levi let him go and carefully closed the door. “I can’t believe you had the guts to climb in here,” he muttered. He didn’t seem angry.

Eren looked around the room, and cautiously got to his feet. His eye feel on the glass of milk, the only thing, other than the kitten and himself, out of place. “Were you going to give that to the cat?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“You shouldn’t. Cow’s milk is bad for them.”

Levi looked vaguely distraught. “Fuck. I don’t have anything else.” He crossed the room and picked up the cat, and Eren wondered why he’d imagined Levi would ever hurt it. This side of him seemed really kind, he thought. “I’m sorry,” Levi told it.

“I’ll take it,” Eren said. Levi looked at him suspiciously. “I’ll take it home tonight, and we’ll look after it.”

“That might be best. You do seem to know what you’re talking about.” He looked a bit sad.

“You could,” Eren ventured. “Come with me to the shelter? They’ll probably want to thank you for rescuing the cat. I could give you my number.”

“I don’t have a phone.”

“Oh.”

“I could walk over.”

Eren nodded and offered to write down his address, thinking he might clean his room that night, once the cat was taken care of.


	65. Levi/Eren/Jean Modern AU

Jean had wedged himself under the steering wheel, to better work on brushing the dust and dirt out of the foot pedals, when he felt something wet and slimy land on the strip of bare skin above his jeans and below his shirt.

He yelped reflexively straightening and nearly braining himself on the car in the process.

“Eren! What the hell?”

He could hear Eren laughing outside, halfway between a cackle and a chuckle, and Jean knew he’d be wearing that shit-eating grin that lit his face up and made his nose wrinkle.

“I couldn’t resist,” he said.

Jean swiped his hand across the wet spot. “Fucking soap suds in my arse crack,” he grumbled, which only made Eren laugh harder. “Are you working or are you playing around? He’ll be home in an hour or so.”

“It’s spotless,” Eren said. “I just gotta buff it up.”

That was something, Jean supposed. He went back to work.

They were still putting away the cleaning things when Levi got home, trudging up the driveway after walking from the train station to see soap suds in the grass and his car gleaming like new. Levi stopped and looked at it.

Jean shoved the rest of the cleaning supplies away in the garage and went to join Eren on the front lawn. They were barefoot and rumpled and damp, fingers wrinkled and hair askew as they lined up to await Levi’s verdict.

“You washed my car,” Levi said, peering in the back window, or maybe regarding his own slightly suspicious expression in the reflection.

“Yup, inside and out,” Eren said, rocking forward proudly on his toes.

He regarded them narrowly and Jean did his best to look innocent. “Why?” Levi asked.

“Because we wanted to give you a surprise?” Jean said. “You’ve been working very hard lately and since exams are over we thought since we had more time-”

Eren trod on his foot to let him know he was starting to get suspiciously long-winded.

Levi walked over to them, his pale eyes flicking from one to the other. Jean tried not to squirm; Levi gave the impression he could mind-read, sometimes.

“Did you have sex in my Maserati?” Levi asked. “Tell me the truth.”

Jean clamped his jaw shut while Eren let out a squeak of suppressed laughter. Shut up, shut up, shut up, Jean thought.

Seeing that Eren’s self-control was breaking, Levi turned his attention to Jean, eyebrows raised enquiringly. Jean felt sweat gathering on his back.

“There’s room for three,” he finally burst out, as Eren dissolved into giggles, and Levi shook his head to hide his smile.


	66. Jean/Eren Labyrinth AU

“Well,” Jean drawled with appropriate menace, his wispy cloak floating behind him as he walked soundlessly over to the cliff edge. “What do we have here?”

Dangling from a thin, dead branch, Eren scowled at him and swung his legs, aiming a hopeless kick in Jean’s direction.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jean said, as the crack of dead wood snapping made Eren suddenly fall still. “You know what’s down there, don’t you?”

“Why do you even _have_ a Bog of Eternal Stench?” Eren asked. “It’s disgusting. Your labyrinth is disgusting, you horse-faced weirdo.” The fierceness of his scowl was undercut by the precariousness of his position.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Jean said, disquieted despite himself. “It’s all your fault anyway.”

“How is this my fault?”

“You keep trying to escape. That’s not your place. Your sister wished you away fair and square. Perhaps you shouldn’t have driven her to do so if you dislike my labyrinth so intensely.”

“Where’s Miksasa?” Eren demanded.

Jean summoned a crystal and watched it float by, “Nowhere near close enough to rescue you when that branch snaps.”

“Let me down.”

“Will you behave like a proper hostage?”

“Absolutely not! This isn’t fair! She shouldn’t have the power to wish me away without my consent.”

Jean narrowed his eyes, considering. At a gesture, a set of stone steps unfolded them from the cliff face and Eren cautiously dropped onto the topmost one.

“I didn’t promise anything,” he said suspiciously.

“But I did,” Jean said as Eren descended the steps towards him. “I told you, I’d take you away after you fight with your sister. That I’d take you to my labyrinth, and you agreed, Eren.”

“I didn’t believe you!” Eren practically shouted. “Who would believe you? I thought you’d come out of the club, I thought.” He looked Jean up and down, his dark skin darkening. “I thought you were propositioning me. Badly. Not kidnapping me.” He stomped past, muttering about perfect eyeshadow and ridiculous pants.

Jean smiled faintly. Proposition or kidnapping, goblins didn’t really see a lot of difference.

The clocks of the Goblin City were only just striking eight; plenty of time for things to get interesting, Jean thought.


	67. Erwin/Mike Zombie AU

Erwin stared at the map, barely feeling it as Hange fussed with the bandages on his stump. It was one of those touristy maps, indicating spots of local historical interest, now heavily annotated.

“We should, uh.”

“Leave it for a while, Erwin,” Hange said. They weren’t very good at this sort of thing, and neither was Levi. Mike was. Had been.

Erwin covered his face with his hand. Three other people left in the whole fucking world and one of them might have been his type. What were the odds?

He heard Levi come into the room, but didn’t raise his head to look at him.

“There’s no food in the basement,” he said. “But the plumbing might still be working. We could wash our clothes. I don’t know, Hange, you’re the engineer.”

“I’m a doctor, not an engineer,” Hange said. “Get it? Like in Star Trek?”

“I’ll keep watch,” Erwin said, and the other two went back downstairs, Hange still trying to explain their joke. Erwin couldn’t even clean his guns one-handed, so he just sat and waited and listened and was honestly grateful the other two hadn’t left him for dead when he’d lost his arm.

Like they’d left Mike.

He started when someone knocked on the door. Actually knocked, not slapped rotting limbs against it. He got to his feet and crossed the room, revolver in hand. Listened. Couldn’t guarantee anyone was friendly.

Another knock, more urgent. “Open the door!”

Erwin recognized that voice. “Mike?”

“Erwin?”

Erwin used his shoulder to shift the beam bracing it closed, and let Mike push it open. Erwin backed off, his gun still in his hand. Mike was covered in blood.

“Are you bit?” Erwin asked, wondering how he was going to make himself shoot Mike in the head if he was. How he’d have to look into his eyes to do it.

Mike shook his head. Erwin looked him up and down. He seemed intact but-

Mike closed and re-barricaded the door, his movements as calm and methodical as always. “I’ll show you,” he said, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Erwin believed him by the time he was taking off his jeans but didn’t stop him from stripping down entirely, too dazed to object.

“How?” he asked. Mike merely shrugged. Erwin put his revolver down on the table and hugged him, naked and bloody and all. Of course that’s when the other two came back upstairs, but Erwin honestly didn’t care, as Levi started gingerly collecting Mike’s clothes, and Hange welcomed their comrade home.


	68. Levi/Eren Unspecified

Eren was sleeping. His hands, large and calloused were bunched into fists, held close to his chest like a child’s. He didn’t seem bothered by the hard ground under his body, or cool breeze that blew over him, ruffling his brown hair occasionally, and rustling in the leaves above. Levi had considered covering him with his cloak but there was warmth in the dappled sunlight, and Eren was more often too hot than too cold.

So he had no purpose, there was no need to keep watch, but he sat with his back to the rough bark of the tree and had no intention of moving, watching Eren’s eyelids flutter occasionally in dream, listening to him sigh in his sleep.

There was so much Levi didn’t understand about this, about people, but this specifically. How they became so tangled, how it was so easy. He was free to be anywhere in the world, now, and he chose to be here. Always chose to be here, and he didn’t think he was merely tolerated, but who knew what went on in Eren’s head sometimes.

A leaf fell, and Levi could at last make himself useful, plucking it off Eren’s jacket and flicking it aside.

Levi supposed this was peace, and it wasn’t the cotton-wool numbness he’d always imagined it to be. It wasn’t without its questions, its little mysteries.

“What am I to you?” he murmured, no louder than the wind.


	69. Levi/Eren Canonverse

She hadn’t been able to walk so well, so he’d carried her up into the sunlight, out of the underground. It was so bright, it hurt. He’d taken her to a farm to meet the queen, and although the other adults said to call her ‘Your Majesty’ Historia seemed to prefer her name.

Levi was Levi, and he put her down gently, and told her she was home, and that with time and sunlight she’d walk again. Until that time, he carried her without complaint. She supposed she didn’t weigh much, and he was so strong. He carried the others like her too, and never forgot where he’d put them, like some of her friends sometimes had.

She started to walk again, unsteady. She started to run. Sometimes she got tired and he carried her. Sometimes she pretended she was more tired than she was just so she could curl against him, feel his heartbeat through his chest.

Levi didn’t give them lessons; Historia or one of the others taught them letters and numbers, but he would tell them stories. He didn’t pretend they all had happy endings either, and even when they did, he didn’t smile.

She wondered what it would look like. She smiled at him, because people usually smiled back. Sometimes he’d pat her head or tell her she looked happy, but he didn’t smile back. She showed him her bookwork, she showed him the things she drew. She worked extra hard when she was on cleaning duty because when the other kids didn’t he scowled.

She picked him flowers. Brought him by the hand to see a sparrow’s nest she’d found in the barnyard. She did handstands and sung songs. She memorised the jokes the older kids told and repeated them to him with a grin he’d described as ‘shit-eating.’

She’d been so sure he’d have laughed at the last one. Instead he frowned and told her he’d get blamed for giving her a foul mouth.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

“I just want to see you smile…” she mumbled, staring at her toes.

He sighed and knelt down, and although she was feeling bad, she felt a bit better when he hugged her. “You remind me of someone,” he said, but didn’t explain who. “Don’t worry about me, your smiles are more important.”

A few weeks later she was woken up when dawn was only just breaking by the sound of hoofbeats. Curious, she crept out of bed despite the chill and peered out the window to see who was visiting. She wasn’t surprised exactly to see Levi was awake and waiting by the gate as he never seemed to sleep, but she was surprised to see him stretch his arms out to the stranger, practically catch him as he tumbled off his horse into his arms.

If they said anything they were too far away for her to hear, but when Levi looked at him, he smiled.


	70. Levi/Eren Modern AU 4

Eren didn’t have to worry about getting lost, he just had to follow the sound of swearing. A few stars were dotting the evening sky as he scrambled up the bank at the side of the road and trotted down to the bitumen on the other side.

His Toyota was just where he’d left it, the hood still popped and Levi bent over the engine under it, cursing a blue streak in a sort of monotone that suggested he was at the end of his rope.

Eren sighed. This really wasn’t going to plan; he’d hoped a few days on the road with Levi would somehow bring this simmering thing between them to a boil, finally, and while Levi did look like he was simmering, it wasn’t in the way Eren had hoped.

He didn’t mind if he was a day or two late back home, but Levi cared a lot about these things, and Eren had bit his tongue when he considered suggesting detours and delays. Turned out, fate had that covered.

“I’m back,” Eren said brightly. “I scavenged us some food.”

“You did?” Levi lifted his head. Eren could see sweat trickling past his left eyebrow.

“Well, it’s just corn,” Eren said. “I went in as far as I dared but I couldn’t find a farmhouse.”

“So you stole some corn.”

“It’s not stealing. Corn production is heavily subsidised by the government, and I’m a taxpayer. Well, my dad is. So technically I think I’m entitled to some.”

Levi shrugged and went back to scowling at the engine. “Whatever.” It had to be getting too dark to really see anything, but Eren didn’t argue, instead going to the boot to dig out the portable gas stove. They were just lucky he hadn’t been bothered chucking it to save space. It was tiny, and grilling corn on it would take patience, but it wasn’t like they had anything else to do.

Eren sat on the rear bumper, industriously shucking the silk and outer fibers when Levi slammed the hood and he jumped at the unexpected noise.

Levi stalked away from the car and Eren saw the flare of blue light from his screen as he checked for a signal again. They really were in the middle of nowhere.

Eren abandoned his work for now and walked over, stopping a few feet away, staring at the back of Levi’s bowed head.

“Any luck?” he asked.

“Why’d you even bother asking?” His shoulders raised and then dropped. “Mom’s just gonna- you know. She worries.”

“She knows I’m here at least,” Eren said, wishing he wasn’t so inadequate. He took a deep breath, aching to be less useless. “Come here?”

“What?” Levi turned slightly.

“Come here, you need a hug,” he said more firmly.

He held his arms out when Levi looked at him, glad it was too dark to see his expression clearly. C’mon, it’s just rejection. Not gonna be so bad. He heard Levi’s boots scuff against the ground as he shifted his weight. He looked up and down the deserted road, and then he walked over.

“Okay,” he said softly.

Eren thought he might be dreaming as he wrapped his arms around Levi’s shoulders. Levi didn’t hug him back, but he did rest his head on Eren’s chest. Eren willed his heart to quieten down, but it ignored him. Levi smelled like sweat and engine oil.

And he started to relax. Eren looked up at the sky and squeezed him tighter.

“There’s a falling star,” he said. Levi craned his neck to look as well, but he didn’t pull away.

“Bit slow for a star. I think it’s a satellite.”

“Oh.” Eren said. He looked at Levi and beamed, couldn’t help it. “Cool.”


	71. (nsfw) Jean/Eren Modern AU

Jean held his breath for a few moments and the let it out with a ‘whoosh’ and dropped his head to pant against the pillow.

“Are you alright?” Eren asked, unable to see Jean’s face from this angle, only the bumps of his spine and the jut of his shoulder-blades.

“Fine!” Jean said, far too loudly for comfort. “Just get on with it.”

“Okay.” Eren adjusted his grip on Jean’s hips, looking down in fascination at his arse, and the way Eren’s cock pushed into it. Amazing, he thought, his own breathing erratic and his heart thundering in his chest. He was really doing it-

“Wait! Stop. Jesus fuck,” Jean burst out.

Eren waited, his calf threatening to cramp up, wondering if he’d done something wrong.

“I mean take it out!” Jean finally said, after some more squirming. As soon as Eren had done so Jean curled up and Eren flopped down beside him, frowning. Jean had his head hidden in his arms, and Eren cautiously stretched out a hand and patted his back, his erection wilting in the condom under a rush of worry.

“Are you okay?”

Jean made an ambiguous noise.

“Did I do something wrong? You said you’d done this heaps of times.” And laughed in Eren’s face for admitting he was still a virgin.

“I know what I said,” Jean replied, muffled.

“You said ‘I was getting laid when you were still working out how to jerk off.’” Eren still didn’t know if he was annoyed about it or not. He’d thought he was sort of lucky to be here, in the end, regardless of Jean’s attempts to irritate him.

“I can’t believe you believed me!” Jean lifted his head, and Eren got a look at his face; red and slightly teary and somehow offended as well.

“Why wouldn’t I believe you?” Eren asked. “You’re kind of cool,” he said, a bit grudgingly.

Jean blinked at him. “Seriously?”

“Wait, you were lying? What about all the other things you said you’ve done?”

“Never mind that.” Jean propped himself up on one elbow. “You think I’m cool?”

“I guess! I’m here, aren’t I? In your bed.”

“Yeah, you are.” Jean was looking at him with an expression Eren had never seen before, sort of wondering, like he’d only just realised something. He rolled over and sat up, crossing his legs. “I’m not really that cool,” he muttered.

“That’s becoming increasingly obvious,” Eren said, and it was a relief almost when Jean swatted his arm, like old times. “So you’ve never done this before?”

Jean shook his head.

Eren heaved a sigh and stretched his arms up over his head. “Okay. You’re kind of an idiot.”

“You’re not gonna leave?” Jean asked hesitantly.

“Do you want me to?”

“Nah,” he said, and Eren shifted to make room as Jean lay back down beside him.


	72. Levi/Eren/Erwin Fallen London AU

Eren paced up and down his room, watched by a large variety of creatures; bats, cats, rats and weasels swung their heads as he stalked up and down, and even his bizarre plant seemed to be paying attention.

“I don’t know why you’re so worried,” the Boyish Academic said. “Isn’t this the best of both worlds?”

“Stop eating my truffles!” Eren said, taking the box away. “I was going to send them back.” Too late now; they were half gone. The Academic raised an eyebrow at him. “Stop looking at me like that, it’s your fault anyway.”

“What did I do?”

“You said ‘Investigate the link between the Handsome Parliamentarian and the Reserved Revolutionary.’ A love story the Bazaar would pay handsomely for, you claimed. Turns out, no story. No money. And now they keep sending me-” Eren glanced at the pile of secrets the Revolutionary had sent him. They were kind of too useful to return. “Things. And asking me out places. They have the wrong idea.”

“Or the right one,” the Academic murmured. “You really want to solve this?”

“Of course I do! But I don’t see how I can without pissing someone off. It always happens like that. If it’s not tomb colonists it’s the urchins.”

“If you took a bit more time and care you wouldn’t piss people off so much. Listen to me. A free evening, a few bottles of good wine, and a handful of those silk scraps and you’ll have a love story that’ll blow the top off the Bazaar, I guarantee.”

Eren stopped. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, but you have to look after my pets for the evening.” 

He took some satisfaction in the look on the Academic’s face.


	73. Levi/Eren/Erwin Modern Fantasy AU

The sunset was slanting orange through the high windows of Erwin’s shop. Really, the multi-story carpark across the street should have blocked the light, but Erwin liked the sunset, and had persuaded it to stay.

He was sitting at his desk, annotating a copy of _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ in green ink, coffee steaming at his elbow. He glanced up when he heard the bells above the front door chime. His bookshop didn’t have any listed opening hours; somehow people tended to show up at the right time.

He didn’t know if he was pleased or disappointed to see Eren. The young man pushed his hood back and made his way through the bookshelves, treading a familiar path to Erwin’s desk. In his hands he clutched a copy of _The Origin of Species_ that Erwin recognised because he’d annotated it himself two months ago.

“Welcome back,” Erwin said, setting the play aside.

“Hi.” Eren hung his head. He smelled like sunscreen, as always, and black tea. “I um, would like another book. I can pay.” He was lucky his father was a doctor; Erwin’s special editions weren’t cheap.

“Eren-”

“Please!” He looked at him with such big green eyes, Erwin’s resolve crumbled. It wasn’t like it was really hurting him, but it wasn’t solving anything either.

“All right, fine.” Eren set down his book and wandered off into the shelves. Erwin set _The Origin of Species_ aside to be disposed of later.

Black tea and sun-scorched grass. Erwin sipped his coffee.

Eren came back a little while later, slightly dusty, with a copy of _Crime and Punishment_. Erwin narrowed his eyes when he saw the title of the book.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “This isn’t your fault, Eren.” Black tea and sun-scorched earth and lightning- Erwin’s eyes widened. “What have you done?”

“Nothing!”

“You shopped around.”

“I’m sorry, but the books don’t work for long, I just thought I’d try something else.”

“Eren, you don’t know how the magic can interact with itself. You’re just lucky I recognise that craft; what did he do?”

Eren pulled up his shirt and his hoodie, and Erwin focused on the tattoo above his hip; black ink, simple, a snake eating its own tail.

Erwin sighed as Eren lowered his clothing again. “Stop doing this to yourself,” he said. For all the good it would do; Eren was incredibly stubborn, and Erwin recognised the mulish look on his face.

“I can keep doing this,” he said. “It’s fine.”

“Until your family sees how much you’re spending and assume you have a drug habit,” Erwin said. He stood up. “Come with me.”

Eren looked at him in surprise as Erwin took his coat off the hook, but he let himself be ushered out of the shop. They walked side by side in silence, Eren with his scarred hands shoved deep in his pockets and Erwin occasionally glancing at him.

Levi had plenty of time to work out that they were coming, and as Erwin had expected he was waiting for them, leaning against the graffitied wall next to his place of business; the door to the shop firmly closed. Levi liked his privacy.

“Erwin, it’s been a long time,” Levi said, not moving to unfold his arms, tattooed to the knuckles, although Erwin was pretty sure they weren’t the same designs as last time. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” His gaze flicked to Eren and back again.

“Please talk some sense into him,” Erwin said. “Otherwise he’s going to go looking for other practitioners and he might not get as lucky as he did this time.”

“Is that a compliment?” Levi asked. Eren had been staring firmly at his feet the entire time but now he looked up, glancing from one to the other.

“Do you know each other?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Levi asked. “Eren, I explained this to you earlier; it’s only temporary. You can’t just live off yourself forever.”

“But it’s magic. I can always get more. You said I could come back if I needed more time,” he stared at Erwin.

“Eren, you’re potentially immortal now. There’s time and then there’s _time_ ,” Erwin said.

“I don’t want to bite anyone,” Eren said, looking at his hands. “I can bite myself.”

“You’re losing a bit of energy every time you do it,” Levi said. “The cycle isn’t perfect, and magic can only make it perfect for a while. It fucking sucks that you were turned against your will, but you’re a vampire and you have to fucking deal with it sooner or later.”

“Magic,” Eren murmured. “The only good thing about this is knowing that it exists.” He looked up. “What if I did my own magic? Then I wouldn’t have to pay and I could keep doing it. You could teach me!”

“Eren no it’s-”

“You are going to be one weird-ass vampire,” Levi said, interrupting Erwin.

“You’re considering it?” Erwin asked.

Levi shrugged. “First time someone’s asked me and had a decent reason for doing it. Why not?”

“Thank you!” Eren said, beaming wide enough to show his fangs. “I’ll work hard, I promise. Oh man.” He looked up at Erwin. “What about you? Teach me? Please?”

“Why? You already have a teacher.”

“But bibliomancy’s so cool, you know?” He smiled and looked down. “Like, I’d go to your shop all the time if it didn’t only show up when I needed it.”

Levi was looking at him, and Erwin recognised the expression on his face.

“Fine,” Erwin said. “We’ll see who’s the better teacher then.”

“We certainly will.”


	74. Levi/Eren Canonverse 2

He seemed so distant now, so weighed down. For all they’d seen and done in the course of this struggle, and it wasn’t war, war was too clean-cut, too childish a word for their historymaking, he had gone further, seen more. Buried more.

This world is cruel, but also beautiful. At some point, Eren had started thinking of him as beautiful, but never cruel. He was the blade in someone else’s hand. He knew Levi didn’t agree.

Eren hadn’t been a child for a long time, but he wasn’t sure what it was to be a man, either. To be human again. He felt this ignorance most keenly when he watched Levi watching them.

They left him alone, out of fear or respect or simply because the ghosts crowded too close around him, and their chill drove them away. Who would presume to offer comfort to Humanity’s Strongest? He seemed just as lost as everyone else, directionless, but not agitating for a direction; content to plant his feet on the ground and take the path of least resistance.

That wouldn’t do for Eren. He’d always done things the hard way. Nevertheless, he was circumspect when he approached, waited until he was acknowledged by those tired eyes.

“Do you want to be alone?” he asked.

“I’ve never wanted to be alone,” Levi replied, years stretching behind him.

Eren shuffled a bit closer. It didn’t seem like such a hardship.

And it felt like time started to move again.


	75. Levi/Eren Canonverse: Confession

Levi didn’t make an actual decision. At least, he didn’t remember making an actual decision. Events had moved by themselves and what he remembered most clearly was staring at his hands. They were shaking. He’d never seen them shake before, and he couldn’t look away, fascinated.

Eren then.

Eren had come up to him, looking as wild-eyed as Levi felt. Everyone was in a state of shock, and he’d said something and Levi remembered looking at his mouth but couldn’t remember what he’d said.

He must have agreed. Or not disagreed. Or something. Because his arms were full of him. Eren. Eren laughing or crying, trembling like a captured bird, his breath hot. Levi bewildered, holding him gently and then squeezing him as hard as he dared, until his hands stopped shaking.

He probably should say something.

He should have said something when Eren had pulled back, breathing hard and his cheeks red, but he’d just nodded, nodded like they’d done nothing more than catch each other’s eye on the way to the mess.

Not like they’d won a war. Not like they’d just become something.

He should have said something one of the times Eren had grabbed his hand. He should have said something when they had tea together, and talked of what they were going to do next.

Levi went with him. He didn’t really decide to do that either, but it was an easier, more obvious course of action. If you were with someone, you went with them if you could. Especially if they didn’t know where they were going and when they’d be back.

Fuck staying, anyway.

Levi was pretty confident about that bit. The rest, well, words were difficult, and he’d already been looking after him, caring for him, for a long time. He second-guessed himself as to why.

Attraction had always an acid burn to be endured, deep under his skin, and arousal a dumb beast to be fed, like hunger and thirst.

But Eren would rest his head against Levi’s shoulder and Levi would listen to him breathe, and sometimes Eren would take his hand as well, and nothing hurt then. Nothing but the lump in his throat, as he wondered what to say.

One evening they camped beside a noisy stream, and Eren took his hand, and smiled at him and Levi’s breath caught as Eren flung a leg over his hip and slid into his lap.

“Eren.”

Eren’s hands were fluttering nervously about him, like butterflies, and Levi caught them, and held them between his own.

Say something.

“I’ve never done this before. Anything like this.” He wanted to apologise.

“Oh.” Eren stared at their entwined hands while Levi tried to read his expression in the low light. “Well.” He shrugged. “Same?”

It was hardly the same, he thought, and surely that was obvious, but Eren was still smiling. In fact, he was grinning.

“So I’m gonna be your first then.”

“Oh, shut up,” Levi mumbled, and released his hands, but only so he could pull him closer.


	76. Levi/Eren Samurai AU: Cherry Blossoms

Eren held onto the broom, but he wasn’t really sweeping the pink petals that swirled around his sandalled feet and dropped from the cherry trees surrounding the shrine.

Dusk was gathering, and the novice stared into the gloom until his eyes ached. When were they coming back?

Pixis must have noticed his inaction by now, but the _kannushi_ hadn’t come over to chide him for it.

He’d been standing still for so long, when he moved to sweep a bit more, petals were dislodged from his head and shoulders. He brushed them off, watched them flutter down, and when he next looked down the road, someone was on it. Just one figure, all alone, and Eren’s heart clenched.

He waited, gripping the broom so tightly his knuckles went white.

It was him.

Eren had prayed, prayed so hard that morning that he might return, but he didn’t understand how he could come back alone. Where were the others?

When Levi entered the shrine grounds Eren dropped his broom and hurried over. The _samurai_ looked even paler than usual, and Eren could see blood splattered on his clothes. He was carrying a sword different to the one he’d held that morning.

“What happened?” Eren asked. “Where are the others?” He realised Levi was clasping his side. “You’re hurt! Come with me.”

He half expected Levi to argue, but he followed Eren back to his house near the shrine grounds without comment. Eren was sure something terrible had happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask again.

Pixis was waiting for them, and he helped Levi into the house and to sit down. Eren moved to help him off with his armour, and Levi grabbed his wrist. Eren waited.

“I should be dead,” Levi said.

“Well, a man who intends to die shouldn’t seek out the most skilled novice in Japan, hm?” Pixis said, smiling inscrutably. “There’s always time to die. First we must hear what happened, and before that we need a drink, so let him look at you. I don’t want my wine to leak right out of you again.”

Levi frowned slightly, and then released Eren’s wrist.

The wound was just below the edge of his armour, the lacquer gouged out where the blow had originally landed. Levi made no sound of pain or discomfort as the priest and novice stripped him to the waist.

Pixis fetched Eren’s supplies, like he was the novice, and then he withdrew, saying he would prepare some soup.

Eren barely heard him. When he was working on a patient it was like his world narrowed to just his hands, and the body beneath them. He could sew this up. Levi’s ribs had protected his lungs and the artery hadn’t been hit.

He would live, if he chose to.

Levi was hardly scarred. Eren had watched him train as much as was practical and he knew how fast he was, how hard to hit. When he’d done all he could, he rose to help Pixis. Levi looked at him.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Eren bit his lip. “Please don’t let it go to waste!” he burst out, and then swiftly took his leave.

“So the _daimyo_ is dead,” Pixis said, as they drank his vegetable soup. The old priest sighed. “He was good to us.”

“We were outnumbered,” Levi said. “When I saw my master fall, I tried to die on the battlefield, but it was as if I’d unlocked some new strength within me. I couldn’t die. I don’t know how many I killed, and then I looked around, and there was nothing but corpses.” He flicked his gaze up. “I considered falling on my sword, but I came back to warn you. The rumours of Eren’s healing abilities have reached even the capital. Why else would they bother with such an out of the way part of Japan?”

Eren clenched his fists. “I serve the shrine. I will not serve anyone who attacks peaceful people. For a healer of all things.” His shoulders slumped. “Is all this my fault?”

“Hardly,” Pixis said. “It is the fault of men who would own everything.”

“If you defy them, they will kill you,” Levi said.

Eren lifted his head and set his jaw.

“Well,” Pixis said. “Perhaps your time here is coming to an end, Eren.”

“But-”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll find another novice soon enough. Still,” he eyed Levi shrewdly. “It’ll be dangerous for him on the road alone.”

“A _ronin_ and a novice priest?” Levi said. “It sounds like something out of a play.”

“You’d do that?” Eren asked, hope blooming, not so much for his own sake, but that Levi might decide to live after all.

“Do you want me to?” Levi asked.

“Yes. Yes, of course. I could look after you. Make sure that wound heals right. We could find somewhere to hide, a monastery or another shrine.”

“I get the feeling it’s not going to be so easy not to draw attention to ourselves,” Levi said dryly. “He’s gone to so much effort already, Pixis. He’s going to keep looking. He’s going to ask you where Eren’s gone.”

“Mmm,” Pixis smiled, apparently unbothered by this concept. “You’d best leave swiftly then, if you’ve decided to go.”

“Thank you, Levi!” Eren bowed.

“Don’t bow to a _ronin.”_

Eren glanced at Levi, and then he was on his feet, hurrying to pack his few possessions.

Eren gazed up at the shrine, cherry blossoms falling in the night breeze as Pixis saw them off.

“But what are you going to say to them?” Levi asked, as Eren waited, his possessions on his back in a bundle.

“That he ran off,” Pixis said, eyes twinkling. “That he fell in love with a _samurai_ or something. Everyone knows a priest wouldn’t lie.”


	77. Levi/Eren Samurai AU 2: Firsts

“I think this will do,” Levi said, and Eren eased his bundle off his back with a groan. His legs felt like they were on fire. He could never tell if Levi suffered equally from the punishing pace or not; he never complained about anything but dirt.

They were in a small clearing that had clearly been used as a campsite, but Levi had examined the firepit carefully and decided it hadn’t been used for a while. Eren had never considered that he might give thanks for bandits before.

“It’s a warm night,” Levi said. “Let’s not risk a fire.”

Sleeping outside in midsummer wasn’t so bad, except for the insects, but Eren wondered what they were going to do when autumn arrived. Maybe find a temple to winter at, but it was becoming clearer that no place was permanently safe.

“I’m sorry,” Eren said, as Levi handed him some of the food they’d been given earlier. “I put them on our trail again.”

“She would have died without your help,” Levi said. “And it gives the peasants more reason to shelter and feed us, although we cannot expect them to lie to the _daimyo’s_ men.”

Eren sighed. Levi was a pale blur in the gloom, the only light coming from a few stars shining down into the clearing. They sat quietly, listening to the cicadas sing and the occasional call of a night bird. Comforting sounds. Should it grow strangely quiet they would gather their things and move on, dark or not.

“I wonder if I’ll ever become a priest,” Eren said. “How can I take my exams when I’m wandering around the countryside like this? I’m sure I’m forgetting things I should know, too.” He spoke out loud, trying to work out if he felt bad about this or not. “Can you see me as a priest?” Eren asked.

“Hm. When you’re old and grey maybe.”

“That would be fine,” Eren said, wondering what his chances were of becoming old and grey. “If you were going to settle down, what would you like to do?” Eren said, after taking a moment to gather his courage. Levi was hard to ask personal questions of, but Eren burned to ask anyway.

“I would open a tea shop,” Levi said, the lack of hesitation indicating he’d given it some thought.

“I would visit every day!” Eren declared, regardless of the impossibility of a _ronin_ becoming a trader. Sometimes he felt such affection for his protector, and it was neither admiration for his skill or even gratitude, but something that welled up in Eren’s chest whenever he managed to look past those things, and see him as an ordinary man. It was a choking, overwhelming feeling, like there was a flood inside him, and if he let it burst free he’d drown.

He would visit that tea shop every single day, he vowed.

“Would you now?” There was warmth in Levi’s voice, and Eren swayed towards it, only realising how close they were when his shoulder bumped against Levi’s.

“Ah.” He made to apologise, move back, but he froze when he felt fingertips against his cheek.

“That old priest wasn’t joking, was he?” Levi said.

In answer, Eren tilted his head towards Levi’s hand so it cupped his cheek, and Levi pulled him in. My heart feels like thunder, Eren thought, his eyes closing as he felt Levi’s breath on his neck.

His breath hitched when Levi pressed his lips to the pulse in his throat, and he gasped at the firm press of his teeth and a rasp of beard against his skin. Levi pulled away a moment later, allowing himself no more than a taste, his hand still warm against Eren’s face.

Eren swallowed thickly, and reached out, leaned in, and parted his lips to return the favour as the summer night sang on.


	78. Levi/Eren Regency AU

“Right over left-what? That’s not right.” Eren stared at himself in the mirror.

“Allow me,” Levi said, not waiting for a response before grabbing the ends of the tie and tugging them until Eren turned to face him. Eren pouted and was disappointed when Levi didn’t look at him. So he looked at Levi instead while the older man delicately unpicked the mess he’d made of his tie.

“You’re getting more grey hairs, Levi,” Eren said.

“I can’t imagine why,” Levi responded with sarcasm, and Eren grinned, knowing he wasn’t truly annoyed. He whipped off the tie from around Eren’s neck and ran it through his fingers to make sure it hadn’t been creased during its ordeal.

“Maybe we should take it all off,” Eren suggested, with a sly smile. “And start again.”

Finally Levi’s eyes flicked up to meet Eren’s. “You don’t have time,” he said shortly. “Sir,” he added, draping the tie around Eren’s neck again.

Eren sighed, “Pity. I could be fashionably late?”

“Not to your own sister’s debut,” Levi said, his fingers making quick work of retying the tie. “There.” His fingertips were against Eren’s neck only for a moment, before he straightened the rest of his outfit to his satisfaction. Eren didn’t really care what sort of clothes he wore, and he left picking them out to Levi’s keener eye.

He did care for Levi’s approval, however, and he preened a little under his gaze.

“That’s a good look on you, sir,” Levi said, stepping back a little to admire him. “I hope you have a good time.”

Eren could never take Levi with him, and every time it hurt a little more. “I’m not going to get married,” he said abruptly.

Levi understood, the way he always understood. He didn’t look surprised, but a sad smile hovered around his lips. “Then you’d better make sure your sister does.”


	79. Levi/Eren/Jean Band AU

“That fucking piece of shit! He used us, used _our_ songs and _our_ hard work,” Eren kicked the empty can hard against the wall, only it wasn’t as empty as he thought and soda splashed up against the wall and puddled on the floor. “Shit.”

At least it hadn’t gone near any of the equipment.

“What are we gonna do?” Jean asked. “What _are_ we gonna do? Replace him with a cardboard cutout? You know how we were always telling him to stop scowling.”

“Yeah.” Eren managed a weak smile. He was running out of anger. He wasn’t even angry at Jean’s whining; they’d both been fucked over.

And he was going to miss Reiner. If nothing else, his solid presence acted as a good buffer between him and Jean. He was going to do his best, but he honestly didn’t know if they could work together just the two of them. It was a matter of time before they had another fight, and this time no one would knock their heads together until they saw sense.

The sense that told them they had something that _worked_. This could go somewhere.

“Fuck. What time is it?” Eren asked.

“Late,” Jean said, levering himself up off the floor. “That is one hell of a mess,” he said, looking at the soda on the wall. In fact the whole studio was a mess. They’d retreated to it after Reiner had handed in his resignation to thrash out what to do next. Mostly they’d made a mess; empty soda cans and fast food containers, littered available surfaces. They’d played angry music.

“The cleaners will be here soon,” Eren said.

They glanced at each other and decided they’d rather not have to look them in the eye when they arrived. Time for a break.

“They’ve probably seen worse?” Jean ventured, as they grabbed their coats and headed for the lift. When the doors opened they stood aside as the cleaner, dressed in neat blue overalls, pushed out a cart carrying mops and brooms and spray bottles. He said nothing to them and they said nothing to him, practically diving into the lift in his wake.

It could be worse, Eren thought, I could be cleaning studios rather than making them dirty.

Fresh air improved his spirits. “Well just have to advertise for a new guitarist,” he said.

“The label will want to handle auditions,” Jean said, as they leaned against a railing, watching the traffic. “We’re not amateurs anymore.”

“We’re not employees either,” Eren said shortly. “It’s our band, not theirs.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to convince them you’ve got a plan,” Jean pointed out.

“Ugh. I guess.”

They gave the cleaner half an hour before going back to collect their things.

“Too late to do anything more tonight,” Eren said, as they stepped out of the lift. “I’m exhausted.”

They opened the door to the studio, and froze. The place was spotless, and the cleaner’s cart was still standing in the corner. And the cleaner himself had picked up Eren’s guitar, and was making it sing. He was facing away from them, lost in his music as he bounced on the balls of his feet, energy pouring off him.

Eventually he realised he was being watched, and the music ended with a screech as he looked over his shoulder at them. The overalls did not do anything for him, but he’s really not bad looking, Eren thought. 

He was pretty sure they were gaping at him.

“Uh. Sorry.” He put the guitar back on its cradle.

Eren flicked a glance at Jean, just to confirm they were on the same wavelength.

“We want you,” he blurted out.


	80. Levi/Eren Tea Shop AU

“Are you flirting with me?” He asked with a kind of cool curiosity, his voice the same even tone with which he asked Eren for his order and wished him a good day. If he’d looked even the tiniest bit hopeful, or nervous, or anything perhaps Eren wouldn’t have instantly felt so defensive.

It was hard not to be defensive.

“No!” Eren was flabbergasted at the very idea. “These are-” Dozens of sketches of you, scattered across the table. “I’m an art student! I’m just practicing.” Because you’re so fascinating. “And of course I come here.” And tell all my friends to come here, and write about how great this place is in my blog and I haven’t had coffee in weeks and Jean keeps teasing me about being a tea snob now. “I like it here.”

“Alright. My mistake, I apologise.” He swept up Eren’s dirty crockery and put it on his tray before moving on without a backwards glance.

Face itching with embarrassment, Eren gathered up all his papers and pens and things. He didn’t feel like staying til closing this time. He nearly texted Armin about it; could you believe it, the guy who runs the tea shop thinks I’m hitting on him.

He swung his bag back onto his back and only managed a grim-faced nod as Levi wished him a good day as he left.

He just liked it there, that’s all, he thought as he stomped down the street. It was an incredible place, and the way Levi could effortlessly carry about multiple tea sets without spilling anything, and the way absolutely nothing seemed to get to him or worry him. It was such a calm and reassuring place to be, Levi’s unflappable demeanor was as important as the smell of tea itself to the atmosphere and maybe he’d been flirting a little.

A lot.

He slowed his walk and then halted, staring blankly in front of him.

Of course Levi wasn’t going to react. In fact he probably would have completely ignored it, no matter how obvious Eren was if he wasn’t also–

Holy fuck.

Eren turned and ran.

“I mean yes!” Eren declared as he burst into the tea shop, the chimes jingling above him.

“I’m sorry?” Levi looked at him, eyebrows raised, but Eren had seen through that unapproachable air, and he approached, putting his hands flat on the counter and grinning.

“Yes, I am flirting with you.”

The corner of Levi’s mouth was twitching. “I see.” He glanced around the deserted shop. “Well, I’m closing in ten minutes.”

“I. Oh.” Had he got it all wrong?

“So have a seat, if, if you’ve got time, that is.”

“Yeah.” Eren smiled. “I’ve got time. Of course I have. For you.” Oh God he was babbling, just shut up already.

But Levi was smiling faintly, and Eren decided he didn’t need to feel too bad about it.


	81. Levi/Eren/Jean Band AU Part 2

“Shit. Uh. Sorry.” He ducked his head and made for his cart.

“Dude, it’s fine,” Jean said. “You’re really good.”

He just looked like he wanted to get out of there, which, okay, they’d caught him playing on an instrument that wasn’t his, but he hadn’t hurt it or anything.

“Thanks,” he muttered, putting the bag of trash from the studio in the bin on his cart and starting to push it towards the door.

“Hey, no wait!” Eren said, stepping in front of him.

“I don’t want to lose my job,” he said flatly, looking from one to the other with a closed, wary gaze.

“We want to give you a job,” Eren said. “I mean, we do, don’t we?” he glanced at Jean.

“Hell yes. We just lost our guitarist.”

“And you know what you’re doing,” Eren said.

“So you pick the first guy who comes along?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, if he’s as good as you,” Jean said. “We’re a real band, we’ve got a contract and everything. I mean, you might have to audition to make it official but you’re gonna kill it. Especially if you wear something other than that.”

“Kid, I am far too old to be in your band. And how do you know I’d even fit?”

“Good point,” Eren said. “Come here, we’ll play.”

“I have a whole building to clean-”

“You had time to play earlier,” Jean pointed out. “What are you? Scared.”

“That sort of juvenile attitude is not enthusing me.”

“Please?” Eren said. “Aren’t you even curious? If we suck, you get to tell us to our faces.”

He paused. “Alright, kid. That’s fair.”

“My name is Eren. And he’s Jean.”

“Levi. Now make some noise.”

He had to have been a professional once, Eren thought, as he watched them play. Despite the fact that they’d spent most of the day hanging out in this room, with Levi’s eyes on him he felt like he could play all night. Jean was equally enthusiastic, thrashing the drums hard enough to raise a sheen of sweat on his skin.

When the song concluded, silence fell as they waited for Levi’s reaction.

“Not bad,” he said, and Eren grinned like he’d just won a Grammy.

“So you’ll play with us?” Jean asked, and it would have been fine if he hadn’t tripped over adding. “Music, I mean, of course.” Because he was as subtle as a brick.

“No.”

“What?”

“You can’t possibly prefer to be a janitor,” Eren said. “If you do I think you’ve missed your calling.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want to play with you.”

“Oh.” Eren stared at his toes.

“Why not?” Jean asked indignantly.

“Because you left a huge fucking mess!” Levi snapped. “This room was disgusting. I had to clean soda off the goddamn wall, and I am not sharing studios, hotel rooms, bathrooms, anything, with you after that.”

“Yeah, that. The soda was Eren’s fault,” Jean said.

“Jean!” Eren hissed.

“Well, it was nice meeting you boys. Good luck out there.”

“Wait!” Jean called. “What if we promised not to make a mess?”

“Or we’ll clean it up ourselves if we do make one!” Eren said eagerly. “If we don’t you can always leave.”

Jean nodded vigorously. “Yeah, c’mon, we gotta be worth a try.”

Levi still looked wary, but he unfolded his arms. “I guess if you’re serious I could give you my number. I have to get back to work though.”

“We’ll call you,” Eren promised, as Levi pushed the cart out.

“We have to get him out of those overalls,” Jean drawled, once the door had swung shut behind him.

“Yeah,” Eren said, agreeing regardless of how Jean meant it.


	82. Erwin/Nile Modern AU

Erwin flinched as the mug he was holding slipped from his soapy grasp and sent water splashing out of the sink and liberally soaking the front of his shirt. Silence fell, save for the buzzing of a neighbour’s lawnmower.

“What?” he asked.

Nile was holding the dishcloth, although he’d twisted it in his hands nervously. With some effort he shook it out and reached for another wet plate with a nervous little laugh that didn’t fool Erwin one bit.

“Can we just pretend I didn’t say that?”

“Yeah,” Erwin lied, feeling around under the suds for the mug, and picking up the sponge. They worked in awkward silence, Erwin’s wet shirt sticking cold and clammy to his chest.

“It’s not that I didn’t mean it,” Nile said eventually. “I just didn’t want it to be like this. It just slipped out.”

“Been thinking about it then?” Erwin asked, deliberately lightly.

“Maybe.” He draped the dishcloth over the handle of the oven door and walked up to rest his forehead against Erwin’s shoulder. “You know I’m a bit of a screwup,” he said.

“You have your moments.”

“I want to do this right,” he said. “Go down on one knee, get my grandmother’s ring, the works.” 

Erwin held up his hand. “Your grandmother’s ring is not going to fit, Nile.”

He raised his head. “Good point. I knew I kept you around for some reason.” They smiled at each other.

“So, we forget this conversation ever happened?” Erwin asked.

“ _You_ forget, I need to reconsider that ring.”


	83. (nsfw) Erwin/Eren Modern AU

I ended up writing some porn.

Eren whistled cheerfully as he worked, winter sun soaking through his shirt onto his shoulders, and birds caroling in the trees outside. It was a lovely day to get stuck into home improvements. His friends would probably laugh if they saw him now; utterly domesticated, he imagined Jean telling him, but he could admit to himself now that his early life had been hard.

He’d earned this peace and quiet.

An early winter storm had done some damage to the garden shed, and Eren was replacing old and splintered timbers, sawing and hammering away for the best part of an hour now. One end of the board secure, he moved to the other, holding it in place with one hand and reaching for the tin of nails with the other.

“Fucking hell!” he swore as he accidentally knocked the tin into the grass, nails scattering. He hovered for a moment, torn between holding the board and retrieving the nails. He peered at the house. “Hey!” he called. “Erwin!”

A few moments later the man in question opened the back door. “Are you all right?”

“Could you give me a hand please?” Eren asked, gesturing at the nails at his feet. “If I let this go it’ll spring back.”

“I see.” Erwin walked over, watching where he put his bare feet. He walked up behind Eren and put his chin on his shoulder, his arms going around Eren’s middle. “How’s it going?”

“Fine, I’m nearly done. I just need a couple of nails.” Eren squirmed as Erwin breathed on his ear. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Erwin asked, obligingly replacing his breath with his lips, his hands drifting down Eren’s stomach. “You got out of bed so early this morning.”

“I wanted to get this done,” Eren said, swatting halfheartedly at him with his free hand. “And I can’t if you’re breathing all over me-ak!” He jumped as Erwin snuck slightly cool fingers under the waistband of his pants. “I asked for a hand, not a handjob,” Eren said, trying to keep his voice steady. “We’re outside for fuck’s sake,” he added in an undertone.

“Mm, I thought this was why you built that lovely fence,” Erwin rumbled. “No?” he asked, his fingertips just brushing the head of Eren’s cock through his boxers.

“You dirty old man,” Eren said, turning his head to kiss him.

Erwin grinned and started undoing Eren’s fly. “Have to keep you satisfied,” he said, sounding pretty satisfied himself by the way Eren felt in his hand. Eren didn’t argue, letting Erwin do as he pleased, his head lolling back so Erwin could get at his neck. He still had to keep one hand on the board, so he couldn’t do much more than enjoy the attention.

He leaned back against Erwin’s broad body and let his eyes fall closed, Erwin stroking him just the way he preferred it, not teasing. He didn’t last too long; it had been a shame to leave their bed so early, after all. Erwin put a hand up next to Eren’s to keep the board steady when Eren’s knees started to bend.

“I got you.”

Eren gasped and shuddered and then sagged against Erwin, who kissed the side of his face. Erwin had a handkerchief in his pocket, because he was old like that, and he cleaned him up and made him presentable, and finally bent down and handed Eren two of the nails, with an innocent smile.

Eren finished working on the shed while Erwin picked up the rest of the nails.

“You cooking tonight?” Eren asked absently, standing back to admire his handiwork.

“Mm, I was planning on it.”

“Good, good.”

Eren thanked Erwin for his help and went to put away the tools. And for dinner? Payback, he decided.


	84. Levi/Eren Canonverse 3

“Look at the size of them!” Eren said, his eyes wide. “Someone should stand next to them. We need some scale or no one’s gonna believe us.”

“Uh.” Armin looked worried. “Well.”

“I’ll do it,” Levi said. “They don’t look that dangerous to me.”

And so Levi stood next to the long-necked spotty horses, while Eren sketched them. He couldn’t help but wonder what they tasted like, but it was probably a bit much to hunt something that big. They’d never get through it all.

It didn’t take long for Eren to approach him again. “So uh, how do I put this,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. It was uncharacteristic for him to be uncertain; he’d freed them from the walls, become an explorer, a hero. He’d grown up into a fine young man, if Levi was honest. “Could you be a scale again, sir?”

“Don’t call me sir,” Levi said. He looked at the little rat-things darting in and out of their burrows. “They don’t look that intimidating to me.”

“Yeah, but, like, I’ve used you for a scale once and since you’re not of average, uh, size, well, I need to keep using you cause otherwise it will be misleading,” Eren explained, looking everywhere but directly at Levi.

“Fine.”

And so Levi became Eren’s usual model. It wasn’t so bad, most of the time. None of the animals seemed very scared of humans, and anything that might be dangerous could be avoided with the use of gear. It was easy work, and Eren was rather endearing when he hunched over his notebook. Hange had impressed upon all of them the importance of good data.

So Levi sat with scaled and furred and horned and spiked things as they explored the world they’d inherited. So he didn’t think much of it one day when they were letting their horses drink at a stream and Eren said with some urgency, “Wait right there! Don’t move.”

Levi froze. He couldn’t see anything but if it was potentially dangerous Eren would have warned him. Instead he was going through his saddlebags for his pencils and notebook.

He waited patiently while Eren drew. He wondered if there was something _on_ him because Eren’s eyes didn’t stray far from his face. He knew better than to distract Eren while he was drawing, however, so he kept his questions to himself for now.

Levi did what he usually did at these times and just sort of drifted off, relaxing and enjoying the tranquility of this place. They’d be back at the base camp by evening, and it would be good to see how the other groups had fared, but this was pleasant too.

He shook himself out of his stupor when Eren said, “Okay, you can move.”

Levi looked about, but the forest seemed empty and undisturbed. Not so much as a butterfly, dancing in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

“Where’d it go?” Levi asked.

“Where did what go?”

“Whatever you were drawing.”

“Oh.” Eren drummed his fingers against the notebook. “He’s still there.”

Levi raised an eyebrow and Eren smiled a little sheepishly and handed over the notebook. Levi looked at his own face, carefully rendered in pencil, a peaceful expression on his features. He never looked like that in the mirror.

“I mean the light was good, and um, I guess-”

“Eren.”

“Yeah?”

“I get it.”

Eren sighed, “Well, I don’t think you do, really.”

Levi closed the notebook and held out his hand. “I’m starting to.”

Eren smiled, and Levi wished he could draw.


	85. Levi/Eren Neigbour AU

Clunk!

Clunk clunk clunk!

Jean sighed deeply. “The guy upstairs is vacuuming his carpets again.”

“Must be a day ending in y,” Eren muttered around the end of his pen, his eyes still fixed on his notes.

“ _Why_? What does he do that requires so much cleaning?”

“Not your serial killer theory again,” Eren replied, not really paying a lot of attention. Jean liked to gripe about things, it was just in his nature, and while it had driven Eren nuts at one point, now he just sort of let it wash over him. He’d tire himself out eventually.

“Doesn’t the constant noise bother you?”

“It’s not constant.” The noise came from the cleaner hitting the skirting board, but their neighbour was pretty efficient and as noisy as it was, it never lasted that long.

“He doesn’t need to make such a racket- oi!” Jean hopped up on the table and started banging on the ceiling.

“Hey!” He was getting his dirty feet on Eren’s notes. More to the point, “What do you think you’re doing? You’ll piss him off!”

“Just because you’ve got a weird hard-on for short and scowly-” Clunk! “I said knock it off!” He hit the ceiling again.

“I do not have a hard-on!” Eren raised his voice; Jean was going too far.

“I saw you listening at the door to see when he was coming downstairs so you could ‘accidentally’ bump into him,” Jean said, making air quotes with his fingers. Eren yanked his notes out from under his foot, but sadly didn’t send him flying.

“I absolutely did not. Get down from there.” Eren was eyeing him off, wondering if he could tackle him off the table without actually braining him. He just wanted to cause serious injuries, not kill him.

“You’re always working out on the patio about the time he comes home fr-”

“One more word and I swear I’ll kill you.”

There was a knock at the door.

Jean hopped down from the table as Eren went to answer it.

“Hi,” he said, slightly breathless as he gazed into their neighbour’s unimpressed face.

“Do we have a problem?” he asked.

“No.”

“Yes,” Jean said, folding his arms.

“Well, _I_ don’t have a problem,” Eren said, trying to look pleasant and neighbourly.

“Oh my god,” Jean muttered. Eren ignored him.

“Are you the one with the hard-on?” their neighbour asked, flicking his gaze downward for a moment.

“You… heard that?” Eren asked in a strangled tone, while Jean cracked up.

Something approaching a smile hovered around his lips. “You boys should keep your voices down when you’re arguing.”

“Right, yes,” Eren said, wishing the floor would open up and swallow him, and wondering if it would be less painful just to slam the door in his face and pretend they’d never met in the first place.

“Come up for some tea sometime,” he said, leaving Eren gaping as he went back upstairs. “If you’d like.”

In the end Levi did stop cleaning his apartment quite as often, but in Jean’s opinion the creaking of the bed upstairs, however much quieter it was, was worse.


	86. Levi/Eren High School AU 2

“What the hell was that for?” Levi asked, wiping blood off his face. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t really matter does it?” They were both battered and a bit bloody, but victory, such as it was, was theirs. For now.

“Why did you help me?” Levi asked, taking in the school uniform he recognised as the one from that fancy private place. It had its own pool and everything, or so he’d heard. Kenny had made him go there a couple of times on errands, mostly to shake down students who hadn’t paid for whatever dubious services had put them on his uncle’s client list in the first place.

He shrugged. “It was five against one.”

“And you thought five against two would be better?”

“We won, didn’t we?” He grinned. “C’mon, let’s get cleaned up. Don’t want to get into trouble.”

The last thing Levi would be was in trouble, but he found himself trailing his new acquaintance, who introduced himself as Eren. They found a public bathroom and Levi didn’t find it in himself to object when Eren cleaned him up with confident, gentle hands before turning his attention to his own injuries.

“I’m always getting into fights, you know? I promised not to this year. Does it look too bad?” He leaned in so Levi could examine his face, his eyes wide and shining.

“You look.” Words failed him. “Fine.”

“Okay, cool. I have makeup just in case, you know. And it makes my eyes pretty.” An easy laugh. “Let’s get out of here.”

Eren bought them fried chicken, and Levi showed him to one of his hidey-holes, and they watched the stars come out as they ate. Eren talked, but he listened too, his bare arm brushing Levi’s, his feet swinging to some beat only he could hear.

“And,” Levi spoke haltingly. “I’d like to open a shop. Just a little one. Just me or maybe one other person.”

“It’s so cool that you know what you wanna do already,” Eren said, encouraging.

“I’d call it Tea by the Sea.”

Eren stared at him.

“Uh, can we pretend I didn’t just say that? I know it’s dumb.”

“No! Levi, it’s brilliant! You could have a sign with waves on it and everything. And a picture of a teacup- no, a teapot.”

“I can’t really draw-”

“Hey.” Eren nudged him with his shoulder. “Let’s go to the sea during summer. We could look for good spots to set up your shop.”

“Okay.”

For the first time in a while, he felt like he had something to look forward to.


	87. Levi/Eren Modern Fantasy AU 2

He broke his mother’s favourite teacup, one of the few beautiful things in their tiny house, aside from his mother herself. When she was gone working, he’d often carry it around, without her knowledge, imagining himself wealthy, imagining himself giving her a hundred teacups.

The way she wrapped her slender fingers around it, drawing warmth. It was such a beautiful thing.

And he’d dropped it. Clumsy as children are he felt like he could only watch as it tumbled from his hands and shattered on the kitchen floor.

He was a terrible child. His mother didn’t deserve him, he thought, and he squeezed himself out the catflap–he’d always been small for his age–and ran into the woodland near the house. He ran and grew tired, and sat for a while, sniffling to himself, and when he tried to go home he couldn’t. Everywhere he turned was just more trees, and he stomped on, trying not to cry.

“What are you doing here?”

He wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers, and he shrank back from the man with the green eyes and the leafy cloak. He crouched down in front of Levi and offered him a kind smile.

“Are you lost?”

Levi nodded.

He seemed to know Levi wasn’t going to take his hand, or let him touch him, and instead he said, “Follow me, I’ll show you the way out.”

Levi trailed him cautiously, and a little while later he heard his mother calling him urgently, and he ran on to meet her brushing past his rescuer without looking back.

Levi ran, his cheek burning, because if he hadn’t run he would have hit him back and he was still scared of his growing strength, his own rage. He knew, somehow, that his Uncle was becoming afraid of him, and to compensate he put him in his place all the more violently, especially when his mother wasn’t home.

Someday I’m gonna kill him, he thought, and it frightened him.

The forest was a sanctuary, a place where he might be unseen and unjudged, and he flung himself into its cool depths, with no thought as to how he’d get back. He wasn’t really worried; it wasn’t that large. Pick a direction and keep walking and he’d find his way out easily enough.

He wasn’t a kid anymore.

Just.

So he climbed trees and idly hit the undergrowth with sticks and when it started getting dark he looked for the way out.

It was difficult in the fading gloom, and when Levi came across a branch he’d broken ten minutes ago, he realised he might actually have a problem.

“Fuck!” he said out loud, his voice sounding small, threatening to crack.

“You again. Are you lost?”

Levi thought he’d imagined him, the man with green eyes and a cloak of autumn leaves. He wasn’t that old, really. An adult but barely, which made no sense.

“Who are you?” Levi asked warily. “What’s with the leaves?”

He didn’t seem to understand the question. “Come on, I’ll show you the way out.”

Levi wasn’t sure why he took his hand. Maybe to prove to himself that he was real. When he saw the familiar sight of his own back yard he let go and turned to thank his guide, but he’d already vanished.

Some years later, a developer offered his mother a substantial sum for her house, so that it and the surrounding forest could be bulldozed for flats. She’d gone, and moved into a much nicer place but Levi couldn’t help but feel a little regretful.

About six months after his mother had moved, Levi was walking back to his own apartment after work to find someone sitting on his front steps. His green eyes almost glowed, his cloak of leaves rustling as he got to his feet.

“Hello again,” he said. “I’m lost.”

Levi took his keys out of his pocket. “You’d better come in then.”


	88. Levi/Eren Modern AU 5

Someone in a neighboring garret liked to play the violin, late at night when Levi suspected he was the only one awake to listen. He didn’t sleep well often, and it didn’t bother him; on good nights he slept through it, and on less good nights he lay in his bed and listened, and sometimes he drifted off again.

It never occurred to him to try and find out who it was; he liked the air of mystery, and he felt that someone playing so secretively might not appreciate an audience.

This time, when the first few notes floated out across the rooftops, there was a soft intake of breath from the other side of the bed.

Levi did not take people home, as a rule. Other people were unknown quantities, messy and complicated, but on this hot evening he’d met a stranger, and it seemed strangely preordained, as they entered eachother’s orbits, swapped smiles, cigarettes, edited life stories, smoke, spit, sweat, and now the air in Levi’s tiny room, the fan on the ceiling stirring it lazily.

Levi lay still as Eren sat up. If he wanted to leave it would be fine, and Levi would pretend to sleep on.

He didn’t leave. He didn’t even glance at the clothes on the floor, instead slipping out of bed and creeping over to the chair by the window, that Levi liked to sit in with his tea and read sometimes.

His naked body just a blur in the gloom, he curled up in the chair, his arms around his knees, and his neck craned as he looked out at the night sky. Stars? Smog? Maybe distant lightning on a night as hot as this. Whatever it was, he smiled, his face illuminated by the light pollution outside.

What was I thinking, Levi wondered, watching him through slitted eyes. More to the point, what are _you_ thinking?

He closed them when Eren looked in his direction, but when he opened them again, he was looking out the window once more, listening to the music.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” he said softly. It didn’t sound like an attempt to convince himself, it sounded like a revelation.

Levi only let on he’d been awake months later, when Eren asked why he’d invited him to stay for breakfast, to go out for lunch, to visit again, when he clearly had no love for regular visitors.

“Hmm, I remember,” Eren said, his head against Levi’s arm. “It was such a strange night. I remember feeling, it was so clear, that I was so lucky to be alive. That everything was perfect. I thought at the time that maybe I was just fooling myself, but I didn’t see the harm in just enjoying the moment.”

“And now?”

“And now everything _is_ fine, obviously.” Eren lifted Levi’s arm and wiggled underneath it. “Don’tcha think?”

“Mm. I do.” He might have said more, but somewhere nearby someone started playing the violin.


	89. Levi/Eren/Erwin Christmas AU

Erwin paid the taxi driver and looked up at the building in front of him, double checking the address. The sky was grey and threatening, and there was a good chance of snow, and he pulled on his gloves before pulling up the handle on his wheeled suitcase.

There was a plastic wreath on the door to the apartment building, and there had been Christmas music piped in at the airport. Christmas was only two days away.

He pushed the appropriate intercom button and waited.

This was going to be weird.

It wasn’t the first Christmas he’d spent with Levi. It wasn’t the first Christmas he was single. It wasn’t the first Christmas he’d declared himself ‘too busy’ to attend the Smith family celebrations because he didn’t have the energy to face his extended family. (He’d attended Thanksgiving; they forgave him.)

It would be the first Christmas he was single and Levi wasn’t. _That_ would be weird. It would be the first Christmas Levi had consented to actually celebrate the holiday/birthday combination that usually had him hibernating in front of the TV until it was all over. That would be _really_ weird.

Levi had sounded strained over the phone. “Bring Christmas shit if you want. Eren wanted to do something, and he’s put crap all over the apartment so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

Erwin had seen pictures of this Eren. He’d seen pictures of Levi’s smile when he stood next to Eren also.

Fuck. He should have insisted on staying in a hotel.

He nearly jumped when the door clicked open. He thought it was awfully lax of them until he saw there was a camera pointed in his direction. He dragged his suitcase in out of the cold and made his way over to the elevator.

Levi’s door was opened almost instantly after he’d knocked on it, but not by Levi himself.

“Hi! You’re Erwin,” Eren said, beaming at him. “Come in, come in. I’m Eren.” And holy shit the camera did not do him justice, Erwin thought, and pushed down a very unfair spike of envy. Levi was awkward and shy and frankly Erwin had no clue how he’d managed to snag Eren, but he definitely deserved someone nice. (And Eren had better be nice; if he wasn’t Erwin would be having words with him.)

“Hello. Is Levi in?”

“Nope, he’s gone out to get some things. He decided we might starve if we got snowed in. How was your flight?”

“Crowded, but not too awful.”

“So this is um, usually my room, but I’ll stay with Levi,” Eren said, showing him to a bedroom obviously tidied in expectation of a guest. “I’ll let you get settled. Bathroom’s down the hall. Coffee?”

Erwin said he would love some and Eren smiled at him before leaving to make it. Erwin put his suitcase on the neatly made bed and told himself it was only a week.

There were Christmas decorations around the apartment, but they were fairly restrained; the tree on the coffee table, slightly off to one side so it didn’t obscure the TV, was only a foot high, and there were bits of tinsel draped around.

“He told me not to go overboard,” Eren said, as Erwin stared at the tree. He was carrying a mug in each hand. “Milk one sugar, right? He sent me an email with a bullet list of things to know about you.”

“Thank you,” Erwin accepted the drink. “And that sounds exactly like him. Any chance I could see the email?” he asked slyly.

“Uh, maybe not.” Eren looked awkward and Erwin laughed. 

“I think I can guess the sort of language he used.” He sat on the couch and Eren joined him, cradling his mug, no milk in his coffee. They sat in awkward silence for a while, Erwin’s usual effortless ability to small talk for once deserting him.

“You’ve known Levi a long time?” Eren ventured.

“Yeah. Longer than I care to think about, really.” That tree was bothering him, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. It was nicely decorated, unremarkable, but he felt sort of sad and worried by it. Like there was something important he was missing out on.

“He talks about you a bit,” Eren said. “He doesn’t talk about many people.” Eren paused, turning his mug around in his hands. “Does he talk about me?”

“No,” Erwin said honestly. “But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. He’s not very demonstrative; he’d rather grumble than praise.”

“Well, that’s true,” Eren said cautiously, but he didn’t look convinced.

“When we went to Niagara Falls, we looked out over the magnificent natural wonder and all he said was ‘not bad.’“

“Why were you at Niagara Falls?” Eren asked, looking cheered and eager for a story.

“My fiance broke up with me,” Erwin said. “But I’d already paid for the honeymoon, so I took Levi instead. We even shared the suite; it was actually a lot of fun in the end.” Erwin trailed off, staring at the tree.

I took him on honeymoon, and he’s let someone else set up a Christmas tree in his apartment. _Oh,_ he thought as it all clicked into place. He glanced up when he felt Eren’s hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry for bringing it up,” he said, obviously assuming Erwin’s expression was the result of bad memories. Levi had really lucked out, Erwin thought, and couldn’t find it in him to resent someone that sweet. Be happy for them, he decided.

“Oh, I’m over that. Ancient history. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about Levi. He’s even celebrating Christmas for you, which should tell you something.”

Eren stared at him. “What do you mean? He doesn’t celebrate Christmas?”

“You didn’t know? I assumed you’d talked him into it.”

“No! He just said to keep it low-key. Erwin, this is his first Christmas. Our first Christmas. And I didn’t even know. What am I gonna do?” Eren looked mildly distraught, the friendly hand on Erwin’s back was now clutching at his shirt. “Do I tell him? What if he hates it? I should call it off.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Erwin was now quite sure it was a bad idea to even have come.

They both jumped as the front door slammed shut and Levi walked in, several bags in each hand. “Why the fuck,” he grumbled. “Is everyone so aggressive at Christmas? You’d think the whole world was ending.” He glanced over at them, and they stared at him, and Erwin could only guess what sort of expressions they were wearing. “What the fuck’s wrong with you two?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, instead carrying the groceries into the kitchen and plunking them on the counter with some relief. Eren and Erwin trailed after him.

“I didn’t realise you didn’t normally celebrate Christmas,” Eren burst out. “And I’m really sorry I didn’t consider.”

“Perhaps I should leave you two to it. I can drop by tomorrow, stay at a hotel,” Erwin said.

Levi sighed irritably, removing hat and gloves and scarf and piling them up next to the groceries. “Will you two shut up?” he asked, and they did so, Eren with an audible snap.

He stalked over to them, and Erwin felt like they were naughty boys hauled before the headteacher, only rather than scolding them, Levi leaned up and kissed Eren softly on the mouth. Then he popped up on his toes and pressed his lips, and the cold end of his nose, against Erwin’s cheek. Erwin stared at him, utterly speechless.

“Mistletoe,” Levi said, pointing up at the sprig stuck with blu-tac to the lintel above them. Then he gently pushed them aside so he could get past. “You guys start unpacking the food,” he said. “I gotta take a shit.”


	90. Erwin/Eren Fantasy AU

”And there it is,” Eren said with a grand wave of his arm as they stepped out of the trees, indicating the small hamlet nestled among the fields before them. “I told you we’d make it before the gloaming.” Indeed, the sun was still in the sky, but hanging low enough that even the smallest hills cast a shadow, and the wheat in the fields was tipped with gold. “Was it not an excellent shortcut?” he asked innocently, his head tilted to the side, waiting with knowing, expectant eyes for Erwin’s praise.  
  
Really, was that all he wanted?  
  
”An excellent shortcut,” Erwin said gravely, clinging to his words like they were stepping-stones across a millpond of uncertain depth. “Through the enchanted, haunted, fey-touched forest that all say men must never enter.”

Eren narrowed his eyes and pouted slightly. “We’re safe, aren’t we?”

Erwin wasn’t sure.

“Are we?” he breathed mostly to himself, as the sunlight caught wisps of Eren’s hair that had escaped from his ponytail, giving him a golden halo.

“We should go, though,” Eren said, glancing over his shoulder. “Before the twilight comes.”

Just one stone further. “What if I thought to wait?”

Eren scowled, and when he scrunched his face up like that, Erwin could see why some people thought him scary. “You’d be taken away,” Eren said.

“You are a changeling, aren’t you?” Bound across the stones. Don’t look at your feet.

“We should go,” Eren said, and grabbed Erwin’s hand. Truly he must be worried, but the sun was still shining on the sides of the buildings and the tops of the trees, and Erwin resisted. Short though it was, time remained.

“Why do you always bring me back safely?” Erwin insisted.

Eren looked irritated, and worried, and eventually he took a deep breath and snapped. “Because I love you!”

There were no more stepping-stones. “Oh,” Erwin said, and he let himself be pulled, down, down, down.


	91. Levi/Eren Modern AU 6

Levi was numb from the waist down. They should have stopped ages ago and taken a break, but they were so close now he decided to press on. He was windburnt, sunburnt, and he knew he’d ache all over tomorrow. Occasionally he’d take one hand off the handlebars and flex his fingers, but with Eren clinging on behind him he couldn’t even stand up and stretch his legs.

His old bike was not intended for long-distance travel. This was probably the stupidest idea ever.

But he’d felt Eren tense up when they first got a glimpse of the bridge, as they approached it from the North; it snuck up on them. Eren hadn’t relaxed since, his arms an iron grip around Levi’s waist and his chin on his shoulder. Ever time Levi risked a glance at him out of the corner of his eye his grin was blinding. He’s gonna eat a lot of bugs like that, Levi thought.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Eren was practically vibrating as they rounded the last corner, the San Francisco Bay glittering on their left. Levi found himself trying not to grin himself. Well hell, it had been a while since he’d been this way himself.

“Here we go!” Eren shouted, tilting his head back to look up at the cables and the towers as they rode onto the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Jesus Christ don’t float away, Eren,” Levi muttered, as he felt Eren’s grip loosen.

Eren didn’t let go. He whooped every time they went under one of the towers, drawing attention from the cyclists and pedestrians on the walkways beside the road.

“It goes on and on!” he yelled hoarsely, delighted. “I feel like I’m in a movie.”

As they approached the other end of the bridge Eren curled down again and hugged Levi with enthusiasm far in excess of what was probably necessary. Levi didn’t mind.

“I love you!” Eren gasped as they finally rode off the bridge, with what sounded like the last of the air in his lungs.

“What?” Levi asked, not sure he heard him right. Eren had been full of love for everything on this trip. He probably misheard-

“I. Love. You!” Eren hollered after sucking in a huge lungful of air.

“Fuck! Don’t shout!” They wobbled slightly as Levi flinched away from the noise, and he smiled all the way to San Francisco.


	92. Levi/Eren Neighbour AU 2

“Tin Pan,” Eren called softly. “Tiiin Pan?” Not hiding under the couch. Not sitting in the little garden next to (or on top of) Eren’s sad attempts at growing plants. Fuck. Cats were like smoke sometimes; take your eyes off them for one second and they vanished.

Tin Pan was not an outdoor cat, and Eren was pretty sure he couldn’t climb over the garden wall. Mostly sure. Fairly confident.

“Tin Pan? The clean freak next door is going to skin you alive if you’re in his garden,” Eren sung softly. He lived alone; there was no shame in talking (singing) to his cat. “Or maybe make you have a bath.” Levi probably wouldn’t skin Tin Pan. He was actually sort of nice, in a deeply weird way. When Eren locked himself out, Levi picked the lock on his front door with disturbing ease to let him back in. His garden was spectacular and Eren was deeply envious, but he clearly didn’t like dirt or mess and Eren suspected that meant cat hairs weren’t welcome either. They’d show up too; Levi always wore black and Tin Pan was a sort of pale grey.

“…beautiful green eyes.” That was Levi’s voice, from over the garden wall. Eren crept closer. “You’re so fluffy, so pretty,” Levi mumbled. “Yes you are. Amazing. So cute.”

Eren covered his mouth with his hand to stop himself from laughing. Unbelievable, he thought, now quite certain as to where Tin Pan had got to.

“Cute little paws. Look at those feet– ah-ah no claws. Aww.”

Levi’s voice was really well suited to sweet nothings, Eren thought a bit dreamily. But he should probably get his cat back.

He put the flat of his hands on top of the wall, and heaved himself up, trying to look polite and neighbourly as he peered over the cinder-blocks.

Levi was cuddling Tin Pan against his chest, the cat looking slightly bewildered and Levi looking utterly besotted, which kind of suited his face in a bizarre sort of way. Levi bent his head to whisper, “I love you,” to Tin Pan’s furry ear.

“Ah, hello?”

“Fuck!” Levi dropped the cat like he was hot, and in the manner of cats Tin Pan landed easily on his feet with a plop. Cat and man stared up at Eren with wide eyes. “Ah.” Levi cleared his throat, and tried to brush cat hairs off his shirt. “Is this your cat?”

“Yeah,” Eren said. “I guess he can get over the wall after all. I’ll just come over-”

“I’ll bring him round-”

“Right,” Eren said, as his arms were starting to give out and he didn’t want to argue. “Thank you. I’ll uh, put the kettle on?”


	93. Jean/Eren High School AU

Eren knew for a fact that whenever Jean didn’t want to swagger into school like he was doing everyone a favour just by showing up, he took a more discreet route that cut across the oval, which was exactly where Eren had parked himself this morning, his own footprints still visible on the dewy grass.

And there he was, stomping along, muttering to himself, his face scrunched up in frustrated fury.

Well, Eren couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy this bit.

“Hey, horseface.”

Jean stopped dead, his shoulders up around his ears. “What are you doing here?”

“What are _you_ doing here? Shouldn’t you be on a bus, or hitchhiking, or getting a lift from your mom?”

“Fuck off, Eren.”

“No, seriously, you chickened out?” Eren grinned.

“No,” he said defensively. “I’m not allowed to go. No lift, no bus money, and only an actual moron like you would try and hitchhike somewhere they have to be in three hours.”

“Well, you’ve got your excuses all lined up.” Eren folded his arms. “She wouldn’t even let you have one day off school?” Jean didn’t answer, just stomped past. “What if I gave you a lift?”

“What? You’d miss school?”

“To watch you piss yourself on stage? I’d skip a week. I think you’re just too scared to go.”

“Fuck you, then. Let’s go.”

Eren raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“You’re backing out?”

“No.”

“I need my guitar.”

“Are you really gonna do this?” Eren asked later, as he drove his barely road-legal wreck onto the highway. “Cause if you’ve wasted my time I’m gonna be pissed.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this with you,” Jean muttered.

“Shouldn’t you be rehearsing?” Eren asked. To his surprise Jean nodded, and Eren turned off the radio as Jean reached for his guitar.

“Damn, there’s a lot of people here,” Jean said quietly, as they cruised around looking for a place to park. They’d have to walk a few blocks to the studio.

“Having second thoughts?” Eren needled him.

“No! Look, there’s one.”

Jean was pretty quiet as he joined the queue to register. Eren sat with the other friends and family members and gave Jean meaningful looks every time he glanced nervously over his shoulder. He was definitely pale when he came back with his number.

“I’m really doing this,” he muttered.

“Well you’re not gonna suck as hard as that guy,” Eren said, tilting his head over his shoulder to indicate a truly awful ventriloquist warming up for his act.

“Really?” Jean asked.

“Well, unless you piss yourself on television. They will definitely leave that bit in.”

“You’re not helping!”

The contestants were called away and Eren took a seat in the audience. It beat double geography at least, although he knew he was gonna cop it from his folks when he got home. At least Jean probably would too.

When Jean walked out on stage, he looked surprisingly steady. The judges asked him what he was going to sing.

“It’s about.” He paused. “When you think someone’s messing with you, and it turns out they were helping you out all along. When you were wrong about someone.” He smiled a smile that would one day grace a million album covers, and Eren held his breath.

“It’s called, ‘You Know Who You Are’ and I wrote it like fifteen minutes ago,” he confessed.

When he screamed, the crowd screamed back, and Eren could only stare.


	94. Levi/Eren Modern AU 7

It was the gloomiest summer Levi could remember. Rain speckled down against the window as he curled up next to it for light as he read. He could hear the crash and boom of the waves some fifty yards distant, and the wind hummed in the wires outside the little beach house.

He’d get up and turn the lights on soon, just one more chapter.

He jumped as something banged against the front door. He was on his feet in an instant and then he relaxed as he recognised the hammering.

Eren was soaked. He set his fishing rod down by the front door and proudly showed Levi his catch. “Check it out.”

“You came out in the rain to show me a fish?” Levi asked, closing the front door on the weather and turning on the lights while Eren dripped all over the hall.

“Naw, I just caught it. Your place was closer. Kenny not home?” he asked hopefully.

Levi shook his head. His uncle had no idea what to do with his nephew for the summer and for the most part did nothing at all, attending to his own concerns. He wouldn’t be back until late, if at all.

“We could cook it for dinner,” Eren said eagerly. “Do you know how to gut fish? My Mom normally does it.”

“Can’t be that hard. Cut it open and take out the guts,” Levi said with more confidence than he felt. He wanted Eren to think he knew everything. “I’ll get you a towel and some clothes.”

Eren was nearly naked when Levi came back, shivering as Levi threw him the towel and collected his wet clothes. They probably wouldn’t dry before he went back but damp was an improvement on sopping and he hung them up in the laundry. And he didn’t want to hang around while Eren was drying off and getting dressed.

“Do you want some tea?” he called. How many years had they been doing this? Eren was probably the only reason he didn’t try and get out of his summers with Kenny. Every year his chest ached more when he thought about his summer friend.

Eren sat at the kitchen table while Levi went through the familiar ritual. Kettle, cups, tea, milk. Eren liked a whole spoonful of sugar in his. He wrapped the fish up and put it in the fridge to worry about later while the tea was brewing, and washed his hands before sitting down again.

Eren sighed, looking out at the rain. “Man, some summer.” He stirred his tea and picked up the cup, wrapping his fingers around it. It wasn’t a cold day; they were both in tshirts and shorts, but it looked cold, and the steam rising from the cups was a comfort. “What have you been doing?”

“Reading. I guess I should study.”

Eren pulled a face. “Summer shouldn’t be wasted studying.” He’d swiped at his hair a few times with the towel and it was sticking up all over the place. Levi wanted to run his fingers through it. How many weeks until he had to go back, until he had to wait another year? How much taller would Eren be then?

Levi gripped his cup so tightly his fingertips went white. His heart was pounding, for no apparent reason. It skipped a beat when Eren looked at him, caught him staring.

“I like this,” Eren said, with an easy smile.

“I love…tea.”

Eren’s smile softened. “I love tea too.”


	95. Mikasa/Annie Assassin AU

“Who might you be here to kill, Annie?” She’d recognised that perfume just a moment before she spoke, the gentleman in black with the feathered raven mask was not a gentleman at all, and Annie cursed herself for not noticing just a moment earlier, to give herself a split-second to hide her surprise.

It had been a while, she thought as she looked up at Mikasa though the eyeholes of her mask. Her dress rustled as she turned; _she_ couldn’t pass so easily, but weren’t women always underestimated? They were both taught that, but Mikasa looked so fine in trousers, didn’t even bother to disguise herself further half the time.

Annie’s gaze swept the room, and she made her decision, letting something inside her unwind and relax. “Not tonight,” she said truthfully. “In this dress?” A good assassin knows when to retreat, after all. “I managed to get myself an invitation because I suppose I was curious to see the happy couple. And you of course you’d be here,” she added, after she realised it might be rude not to mention it. At least the awkwardness was genuine; she told herself it would throw Mikasa off.

They both turned slightly to regard the prince and princess. Eren was recognisable even under the lion mask, and Historia’s songbird costume shimmered whenever she moved, catching the eye and holding it.

She didn’t have anything against Eren. He’d visited the Academy once or twice, eager to spar with the students and good humoured in defeat. Killing him wouldn’t be a pleasure, but what blade decides who wields it?

Are they happy, she wondered. They appeared to be friends at least, and she wondered if Ymir was even still alive. So many of their classmates were dead now.

“May I?” Mikasa asked, only the curve of her bottom lip visible under the mask. She was holding out her hand.

Annie took it. They’d never talked much at the Academy, left the jokes and gossiping to others. It had always been about how they moved together. As they glided out among the other dancers, Annie felt a pang of grief. Their days at the Academy had been their best days. How could she not have seen it at the time? She’d missed her.

Mikasa bowed to her when the music ended, an uncountable number of moments later. “Annie,” she said softly. “Royal Assassins, successful or not, never live long.”

Annie withdrew her hand and thanked her for the dance.

Annie waited until the next moonless night. Mikasa was waiting for her, and they danced again. They leaped over the gaps between the buildings, fathomless chasms of darkness, clawed satin shoes whispering over the tiled roofs, blades out, edge first. Annie knew, had always known, she’d have to kill Mikasa to get to Eren.

They were both in black this time. No jewels, no feathers, no music but their own harsh breathing and the odd sounds drifting up from the city below. They both knew where the loose tiles were, had memorised the battlefield around the fine house where Eren dwelled when he visited the city.

Annie ducked under the blades, trying to get inside Mikasa’s reach, where her own daggers would punch through leather and felt and flesh. When you’re small, you fight close. Mikasa preferred to reach, long, elegant limbs matched long, elegant blades. Once Annie had been envious, but they were far beyond that.

One opening was all she needed. One opening was all she got. Mikasa’s knee went up and her elbows came down and Annie recognised her _own move_ how could she be so stupid- 

She reeled, and Mikasa turned and kicked her off the building. _She’d practiced my moves_ -

The cobblestones were unforgiving. Annie tried to roll, felt her arm, wrist, snap, her head bounce on the ground, the air knocked out of her lungs. She lay twitching, unable to even groan as she watched Mikasa hang from the jaws of a gargoyle for a moment, then drop onto a railing and then down to the ground.

She was a dark blur, and Annie waited for death as Mikasa bent over her for a moment. Then she straightened and stepped away.

“Why,” Annie wheezed. “Are you leaving?”

Mikasa replied, but it was muffled by her scarf, and the blood in Annie’s ears.


	96. Levi/Eren Dilf Eren AU 3

“I don’t really know what I can do about it,” Eren said.

“Please?” Isabel begged him. “I’ll talk to him, okay? He’s really bad.”

Eren sighed, “Okay.” It wasn’t like he didn’t care, but it wasn’t really his place to chase down someone else’s kid, no matter how sick they were.

“Man, I hope his uncle’s not home,” Isabel said, as they drove over. Eren rather hoped he _was_ home, because he had some things to say to Kenny, but his car wasn’t in the garage when they arrived.

Isabel hurried up the front path and banged on the door. “Levi! Levi it’s me!”

After some shuffling sounds the front door creaked open and Eren got a glimpse of Levi’s face, paler than usual, his eyes and nose red. He saw Eren and immediately tried to shut the door again. “Go away! I look like shit. I mean, I’m contagious.”

Unfortunately Isabel had stuck her foot in the door and eventually he was obliged to open it again.

“You do look awful,” Eren said.

“I’m fine,” Levi said, staring at his socked feet. He looked miserable.

“Uh-huh. Well, I can’t make you do anything, but our couch gets plenty of sun, and I could make you some soup.”

Levi lifted his head slight. “Homemade?”

“Of course.”

“Come ooon,” Isabel grabbed his arm. “This house is freezing.”

Levi let himself be herded into the back seat of Eren’s car, and he coughed all the way home. Eren was by now a quite used to looking after sick people, and he deputised Isabel to make tea and lemon while he piled blankets on the couch.

Levi kept offering to help and apologising, but eventually Eren got him installed. “Watch whatever you want, but you should probably try and sleep,” he advised, as Levi sipped at the tea, bundled up in the blankets. “The soup’s going to take a while. Can I get you anything?”

Levi shook his head and Eren left him to it. He and Isabel worked in the kitchen for a while, and when he stuck his head into the living room Levi was asleep. It was strange to see him so subdued; Levi was all bark and no bite, Eren understood his prickly, defensive shell, and never tried to coax him out of it. Underneath it all, Eren was sure he was a good kid.

He left the soup on the stove to keep warm, and let Levi sleep, while Isabel eventually found the enforced quiet of the house unbearable and said she was going out with her skateboard.

Eren liked to work from home during summer, so he could spend time with Isabel, so he was in his home office when he heard a soft knock.

Levi was awake.

“Want some soup?” he asked.

“Thank you.”

“You look a bit better. Sit back down and I’ll get you a bowl.”

Levi gave him one of his swift, rare smiles. Eren kept him company while he ate, and made sure he took some medicine afterwards. He tucked him in. Couldn’t help it; the parental instincts had kicked in, and oddly enough Levi didn’t object as Eren arranged the blankets over him and resisted the urge to ruffle his hair.

“There’s more soup if you want it later. You just rest,” Eren said. “The sun’s gone. Do you want the curtains closed?” Levi nodded and he got up to close them.

As he walked out of the darkened room he heard a soft, hoarse voice. “I love you.”

Such a good kid, he thought, and went back to work.


	97. Levi/Eren/Erwin Fantasy AU

Eren knew the storm was coming, nothing magical about it. Anyone with ears to hear the way the birds chattered, and the way the wind smelled would have known it was on its way. He’d warned what customers he had, and if they called his foresight something other than common sense, well, it wouldn’t be bad for business.

Things everyone did before a storm: close the storm shutters, tidy the yard, secure loose items and animals, bring in firewood, clean the gutters, and mend any holes in the roof and get the fire going.

Things witches did before a storm: set out lightning rods and rain jars, hum something protective while the storm shutters were closed, and make a pot of tea.

Things Eren did before a storm: dig out some blankets, sit by an open window and wait, feeling awfully guilty, as he always did, as the first spits of rain raised puffs of dust from the path leading to Eren’s front gate. Thunder rumbled across the sky, unrolling with the clouds like a sheet of grey silk. Eren watched his front gate, watched his hedge, watched the sky.

Each time he wondered if they’d prefer somewhere else to seek shelter, with someone who didn’t didn’t constantly fail them.

The wolf arrived first, slightly bedraggled, padding out of the forest, nudging Eren’s gate open with it’s nose, and closing it behind him. Eren opened the front door against the wind, and the creature slipped inside, and shook itself. Eren sat cross-legged on the floor and the wolf sat in front of him as Eren dried it off.

“Welcome back,” Eren said softly, and the wolf nudged him in a friendly manner before padding around him a few times before curling up with its head on his knee. Eren knew it wasn’t a real wolf, but it didn’t seem to mind if Eren stroked its grey head and rubbed its ears.

The owl arrived later, probably woken up only when the storm arrived, a furious flurry of drenched feathers that arrived at the window and settled in Eren’s lap, wings spread, so he could dry them.

“I’m glad you made it,” Eren said, although his words were half lost in the thunder.

Eren got up to close the last window, as rain was blowing in, and fetch his tea. The three of them moved to sit in front of the stove, the owl on Eren’s shoulder and Eren draped his arm around the wolf.

“I’m sorry,” Eren said eventually. “I haven’t found any way to lift the curse.” They were so patient with him, and he felt awful. They must have noticed because the wolf lifted its head and licked Eren’s chin, and the owl clicked its beak and pressed itself against the side of Eren’s head.

Eren laughed despite himself, tickled and touched.

“Ah, I love you,” he said, and as soon as the words left his mouth he felt the rush of oncoming magic.

And then he found himself crushed against someone’s chest, as the featherweight of the owl on his shoulder was now an entire, rather large, person.

“Fuck,” he said, or tried to, as the air had all been squeezed from his lungs.

“You did it,” the gentleman on top–he weighed a ton–said delightedly.

“Off!” The man underneath exerted not-inconsiderable strength and heaved them both off him.

Eren stared. “Naked,” was all he said, as his brain short-circuited. “I mean! Holy crap, you’re people again.”

The other two were staring at their hands, flexing fingers and prodding their own faces cautiously. Then they looked at Eren and then he found himself the recipient of various hugs and back-slaps and he didn’t know where to look or where to put his hands.

“You guys need clothes,” Eren tried to remind them.

“Erwin, let the kid breathe,” the ex-wolf said. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“We love him too. I know. You’re very obvious.”

Eren looked from one to the other, trying to sort through his knowledge of curses.

“Well fuck, maybe we don’t need clothes just yet then.”


	98. Levi/Eren Ice Skater AU

“I wish I could fly,” Eren said as he finished his warm-up. “You know, like the girls do. It looks like so much fun.”

The ice rink was deserted. Normally they spent most of their time training with their official partners, but they made a point of getting out on the ice together at least once a week. It’s how they’d met, after all.

“Hmm,” Levi said his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked Eren up and down. “You can’t half-arse it. You have to trust your partner.”

“I know that!” Sometimes he couldn’t believe how much Historia trusted him to catch her when she flung herself into the air.

“Come on then,” Levi said, rolling his shoulders. “Something simple first.”

“Uh, I’m a bit heavier than Mikasa,” Eren said dubiously.

Levi smirked. “You think I can’t toss you over my shoulder? I like a challenge.”

That he did. They both did. Eren took a deep breath, “Okay.”

They had no music, only the sound of their blades on the ice accompanied them as they picked up speed, discussing what to start with. Something simple. Eren broke away from their pattern and turned towards Levi and leaped-

Levi caught him, and he was flying. Levi skated back, preserving Eren’s forward momentum, lifting him over his head for breathless seconds.

“Easy,” he said as Eren’s skates touched ice again. Eren grinned. They could do better than that.

They did. Eren knew Levi’s strength was phenomenal, but he’d never seen it tested like this. Levi practically tossed him, as they spun and leaped.

“That’ll do,” Levi said eventually, sounding strained as instead of back onto the ice he let Eren fall into an embrace, their momentum slowing. They panted against each other for a while. Eren could feel Levi’s heartbeat through their clothes, and his arms were hard as rocks.

“Wow,” Eren said. “We should go to the nationals; we’re really good.” 

He was half joking, but Levi looked up at him and said, “We should.” Like the controversy wouldn’t matter to him at all. “You should see if you can throw me sometime.”

He was serious. He really was amazing. Eren hugged him tighter. “I love you,” he said, unable to articulate it better. “I just, really love you.”

“I like skating with you,” Levi said, in his usual understated way, and Eren understood.


	99. Erwin/Mike Wedding AU

“Fancy meeting you here,” Erwin said. “Is this seat taken?”

Mike waved him into the chair next to him. Around them the guests mingled and laughed and danced under a canopy of fairy lights. Erwin sat down, tugging his tie loose with one finger and setting his bottle of beer down on the table in front of him. Mike hadn’t worn a tie in the first place; it made it too obvious he was wearing his one and only suit, and that it was normally taken out of mothballs for funerals.

Erwin probably had a dozen.

“Eren invited all his exes after all,” Mike observed, as they watched Jean dance with someone Mike didn’t know.

“He meant it in the nicest possible way,” Erwin said, with a fond smile.

“Of course he did.” Mike eyed Erwin, watching him pick at the label on his beer bottle. “I’m surprised you came. You’re usually so busy.”

“I-” Erwin frowned. “Yes well, honest about that.”

“I know,” Mike said, looking out at the dancers although he could see Erwin frowning at him from the corner of his eye. “You’re superhumanly organised and do anything you put your mind to. You didn’t want to come back.”

“I did,” Erwin said. “I really did.” He ran his hand through his perfectly styled hair. “I just didn’t know what I was going to say. God, look at them.” Eren and Levi were talking to Levi’s mother, and Eren was practically glowing, his arm looped though Levi’s and their fingers entwined. Levi was harder to read, but he kept gazing at his new husband like he expected to wake up at any moment.

Erwin heaved a sigh. “If Eren had the courage for this, then, I should be able to say what I have to say.”

Mike waited, but didn’t say anything.

“I shouldn’t have left-. No, leaving was the right thing to do. But I shouldn’t have broken us up. I love you. I never stopped, and I know it’s unfair to come back and say this now.”

Mike let him suffer for a few moments more and then got to his feet. “Come on, let’s dance.”


	100. Erwin/Jean Office AU

Jean kept an eye on two phones as he tapped away at his laptop and tried not to think about what was going on behind closed doors. How someone of Erwin’s Smith’s age and position managed to avoid getting his wisdom teeth out for so long was beyond him.

He’d honestly never considered that his boss might be frightened of anything; just working with him was sort of inspirational, and to become his PA had frankly been what Jean considered his greatest achievement to date.

It hadn’t been easy. Competition was fierce.

The doors opened and Jean pocketed the phones and got to his feet at Erwin was ushered out of the back area.

He looked, well, all right. A bit dazed. The operation must have gone well.

“Hello, Mister Smith,” Jean said, wondering what sort of state he was really in. “Feeling all right?”

“Terrible, I slept awfully,” he said. “We have to check out.”

“I’ve taken care of that.” He’d summoned the car as well, as soon as the door had opened.

“I thought I had luggage,” Erwin was frowning at his hands.

“It’s already been packed, you just need to go home.” He wondered if it was appropriate to reach out and guide him, given he didn’t seem to be prepared to move. Jean took his elbow, and Erwin allowed himself to be steered to the elevator.

This was so weird.

Erwin leaned against the wall as they rode down, and Jean tried not to twitch under his scrutiny. Erwin didn’t normally stare at him like that, and it was unnerving.

“You’re very good,” he said the way he made pronouncements about company policy, with gravity.

“Thanks, boss.”

“Arrogant,” he added and Jean stared at him, shocked. Erwin just smiled, lazily, and it was diverting. “I’m no better. That’s how we change the world. You’ve got every reason to be cocky; smart, hungry, handsome.”

“Oh.”

It was a relief when the elevator doors opened. The car was waiting and Jean practically hustled Erwin into it.

“Just straight home,” Jean told the driver, just confirming that the schedule hadn’t changed.

“Where’s my phone?” Erwin asked, patting down his pockets.

“I’ve got it, and you can’t have it back until you’re back to normal,” Jean said, sitting in the back seat as well. “Your orders, Mister Smith.”

He sighed deeply, and stared out the window. “God, it must be awful,” he muttered.

“Sir?”

“When they crush the peanuts. To make peanut butter.” He shook his head. “Carnage.”

Jean knew he was going to regret not recording this as he bit his lip trying not to laugh.

“We could go out for lunch. I’m very thirsty. Do you think they’ll have yoghurt?”

“I could get you some, but it’s probably best if you went home.”

“I don’t have a home. It’s a place. ‘Back to my place.’ Have I ever invited you there?” Erwin was sprawled on the seat, his head lolling back slightly, looking at Jean with half-closed eyes.

“Not like that you haven’t,” Jean muttered. “Yes, I’ve been to your place. It’s very nice.”

“It’s lonely,” Erwin muttered. “I haven’t lived with anyone for a long time. Don’t end up like me, Jean. You deserve better than that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Loopy was entertaining, this was just a bit worrying. Luckily, Erwin seemed to have exhausted himself for now and lapsed into silence.

When they got to Erwin’s apartment building, Jean told the driver he could go; he’d catch an Uber later and he wasn’t sure how long he’d have to spend taking care of his employer.

“We’ve got to get some work done,” Erwin said, as they rode up to his floor. “Are you ready?”

“Yep. Whatever you need. Did you still want that yogurt?”

The question seemed to stump Erwin for a good five minutes and in the meantime Jean got him inside and his coat off and left him to flop down on the couch. He managed to find some yogurt in Erwin’s fridge and offered him some.

Erwin thanked him like he was a guest, and slowly ate some. “Everything’s fuzzy. In my mouth,” he said through a mouthful of the stuff.

“Yeah, you just had your wisdom teeth out. I’m not surprised.”

“No,” Erwin winced and hung his head at the words. “I don’t want to.”

“Hey, hey you already did, all right?” He put his hand on Erwin’s shoulder. “It’s over. You don’t need to worry about them again.”

Erwin looked up at him gratefully for a long, long moment. “I love you.”

Jean was pretty sure his jaw was hanging. He didn’t think anyone but his mother had told him that so earnestly before.

“Wow those are some good drugs,” he said. “That’s very nice, now maybe you should rest, okay?”

To his relief, Erwin agreed, and practically dropped off then and there. Jean rescued the yourt before it got all over the carpet and saw himself out, wrestling with an entirely confusing swirl of conflicting emotions and wondering what he should do next.

The next morning Erwin arrived at work on time and sat behind his desk with his head in his hand as Jean stepped in for his morning briefing.

“Should I be braced for a sexual harassment suit?” he asked, as Jean closed the door behind him.

“No,” Jean said, smiling. “There is this.” He slid a piece of paper across the desk and Erwin picked it up. “It’s my resignation letter.”

“Jean, no.” Erwin started to get out of his chair and Jean was a bit tempted to see what he’d offer him to stay, but that wasn’t what he wanted.

“I want to ask you out,” Jean said, looking him in the eye. “To dinner with me. And I can’t if you’re my boss.” He shrugged, a bit self-consciously. “It’s not like I can’t get another job. You’re not gonna give me a bad reference, right?”

Jean held his breath as Erwin considered.

“I accept,” he said finally.

“It’s in your diary,” Jean said, unable to stop himself from grinning.


	101. Levi/Eren Dickensian AU

“Listen close, boys and girls. The season of Christmas is upon us. Have you got your bells?” Kenny winced as everyone enthusiastically rang the small tin bells he’d provided them with earlier. “Enough!”

They fell silent.

“It puts one in the spirit. The spirit of Charity, which is what I have extended to you miserable lot, and the spirit of Forgiveness, which you had better ‘ope be be in the air should any of you get caught.” He paused to let this sink in. “Be as the angels, my darlins. Tell ‘em how cold and hungry you are, which as I won’t be providing victuals until our night’s business is concluded, will be the honest truth. Now get out, make me proud. Make us rich.”

They scattered like a flock of ragged starlings, feet pounding on the wooden staircase down to the street, bells jangling. Eren slowed down as soon as he was on the street. His first Christmas in London. There had been a great deal of discussion among Kenny’s gang as to what they would most want for Christmas, long loving descriptions of roast goose and ham and pudding, talk of gold sovereigns and fine clothes and toys you could wind up and watch them move.

Eren just wanted his mother back. It was about as likely as roast goose and gold sovereigns. He was lucky Kenny had taken him in, really. Lucky to have met Levi. Eren slowed further, kicking idly at frozen muck in the street, waiting, because Levi always left last, getting extra instructions from Kenny.

And there he was, his cap pulled down over his eyes, looking younger than he was in his oversized, ragged clothes, slouching along like he owned the street anyway. Something in Eren’s chest felt pulled tight. If he stole something nice, really nice, he’d rather give it to Levi than Kenny.

Levi caught up, and eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t say anything, as they ambled down the street.

They had a good system. Eren, with his loud voice and bright eyes would ring his bell and sing and Levi would work the assembled passers-by. Eren couldn’t sing terribly well, but that was part of his charm, as Levi slipped deft fingers into pockets and pouches and bags.

“We’re supposed to give everything to Kenny,” Eren said cautiously, as Levi bought a paper bag of hot chestnuts, juggling them in his gloveless hands.

Levi shrugged. They sat against a wall and ate, watching the crowds to-ing and fro-ing with their packages and fine clothes.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Eren ventured.

“Nothing I can steal,” Levi said. “What about you?”

Eren thought about this, about things he could steal and things he couldn’t, and he looked at Levi’s pale, smooth cheek. Without any further thought he leaned over and pressed his lips to it, as Levi jerked in surprise.

“Got it,” Eren said, breathless, stunned by his own daring and determined not to regret it.

Levi shifted his jaw, looking thoughtful. “You idiot,” he said. “You don’t steal something and then wait around for them to steal it back.” Levi leaned in and something warm brushed Eren’s lip for a moment. Eren was frozen in shock and Levi was off and running. Eren scrambled after him, his heart singing.


	102. Levi/Eren High School AU 3

Ever since they’d come back from summer holidays, Eren had taken to sitting towards the front of the class. He’d also got a haircut, of sorts as parts of it were far longer than they had been before the summer, and Levi could practically feel his grades sipping with every class.

Eren couldn’t keep his hands off his own head. He clearly hadn’t decided which way he wanted his bangs to fall, (or maybe he just woke up like that) so he’d card his fingers through his hair, sweeping it away from the back of his neck so he could scritch absently at the buzzed bits underneath.

Levi nearly bit through his pencil.

Fuck this shit. The next time Levi saw Eren sitting and waiting for his sister after school, his head bent over his phone and his free hand once again molesting the back of his head Levi marched right up and told him to knock it off.

“Stop fiddling with your goddamn hair,” he said as Eren gazed up at him in surprise.

“What?”

“It’s really fucking distracting.” Shit. Wrong word. “I mean annoying. It’s stupid and annoying.” When would he learn that words were not his friends.

“Distracting?” Eren blinked up at him.

“Nevermind. Goodbye.” Levi turned abruptly and stalked away, feeling his cheeks heat up as Eren dissolved into laughter behind him.

Fuck, maybe he should just drop out.

“Wait! Wait, Levi wait.” Eren jogged after him, although Levi didn’t slow down. “Wanna feel it?”

Yes. “I know what an undercut feels like.”

“That’s why I got it. I thought you looked cool.”

“Seriously?”

Eren smiled at him, a bit shyly. “Yeah. So you like it?”

“I guess.”

“Feeel it,” Eren said, bending his head forward. “Please? I bet its softer than yours.”

“How would you know?”

“I don’t,” he grinned. “Yet.”


	103. Levi/Eren Fantasy AU 3

Levi couldn’t really understand it. It wasn’t like the spell wasn’t working; the sheep dozing in the field were plump and happy, the grass long and lush, and even at night he could smell the sweetness of the flowers on the fruit trees, promising a bumper crop later in the year. The garden practically overflowed with produce.

And yet. And yet. There was always something.

It wasn’t the kid’s fault, he did his best. Levi wasn’t good at keeping track of the years, and he rarely saw him, so he wasn’t sure if ‘kid’ was still an appropriate term. Mortals got old so fast. But he did his best; had been doing his best, a lone ten-year-old orphan trying to run a farm, leaving milk and honey by the door even though he had little of either.

So few people did that nowadays.

Now the farm had a dozen hives, and the cows produced the creamiest milk for miles.

And yet. And yet. A fairy’s blessing didn’t seem to be enough. Levi wondered if the place was actually cursed, as he prowled the property, looking in on the animals, examining the plants.

There it was. A couple of cracked tiles in the roof, over the storeroom. They’d cause no problem at all until it rained heavily, and then everything beneath would be ruined. Levi sat on the roof under the moonlight and fixed them.

Milk and honey by the back door when he was done. Well, he’d just have to come back next month.

The next morning Eren jerked awake, uncomfortable in his hiding spot beneath the stairs. For some reason he could never keep awake on full moon nights, but as always the bowls by the door were empty. He sighed, and smiled a bit sadly, and set about considering what to break next month.


	104. Levi/Eren Sensei no Kaban AU

There was no particular reason for Eren to go in to this particular bar on this particular rainy evening, with the streetlights doubled in the glistening streets and the passing cars marking time with the sweep of windscreen wipers, but there was no particular reason for him not to go either. His work was done for the day, and there was nothing but a couple of houseplants waiting for him back in his apartment. He didn’t care if he was alone, or if he wasn’t, but he knew he didn’t want to seek out company specifically, and the bar was small and welcoming, and when he hovered in the doorway it smelled quite pleasant, of dark wood and fresh food.

Inside it was small, only the owner working there, and only a couple of patrons, and had an old-fashioned masculine air. There was one small TV over the bar, showing a baseball game, but the sound was muted; it was there as a formality rather than anything else.

The owner welcomed him as Eren sat at the bar and ordered beer and spring rolls and edamame because suddenly he was hungry. He was probably the youngest person here by about twenty years, he realised, glancing sidelong at his fellow drinkers. One was dressed in a suit and clearly killing time, glancing at his expensive watch, and the other, retired by the look of it, silvered hair and not wearing a tie, was dividing his time between a book sitting on the bar in front of him, his drink, and the TV, which he glanced at occasionally.

There was something familiar about him. Eren was halfway through his beer before that nagging sense that he knew this man crystallized in a moment of recognition.

Surely not. What were the odds?

But the more he covertly observed the stranger, the more certain he was that he wasn’t a stranger at all.Eventually, Eren had to ask.

“Excuse me,” he said. “But did you teach…” He trailed off as the man looked at him, and suddenly he was transported back to the smell of blackboard and chalk and the clatter of chairs pushed under desks and endless post-lunch lessons that seemed to stretch on forever and those eyes on him as he struggled to answer a question. “Mister Ackerman.”

“One of my students?” That voice hadn’t changed much at all.

Eren flushed, “Ah, of course you wouldn’t remember. You must have taught thousands of us over the years. I’m Eren Jaeger.” He held out his hand and Mister Ackerman shook it.

“I do remember you.”

“Let me buy you a drink.”

“Do you remember your schooling that fondly?”

“No,” Eren confessed. “But I owe you a drink anyway.” It seemed a bit like fate, although why he should feel this about a random encounter with a man he hadn’t truly thought of in years he couldn’t explain.

“Go ahead.” He put his bookmark in his book and closed it. “And call me Levi."


	105. Jean/Eren Modern AU 2

“It was green,” Jean heard himself say. “It was definitely green.” It was important, probably. Something horrible had happened and it was not. his. fault.

Because it was green.

“You doing okay?” More green, this time in the eyes of the guy looking down at him. He remembered now, round and green and glowing.

“You have to understand-” He tried to move and the stranger put his hands on his shoulders to hold him down.

“Yeah, I get it. Green. Please lie still. Help is coming.”

Everything hurt. “It hurts,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, I’m not surprised.”

Jean struggled to sit up again. “I have to see-”

“No you don’t!” The stranger pressed down on his shoulders harder, his hair falling over his eyes. “You’ll be fine. What’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

He rolled those green eyes. “So when I get the thank-you note I’ll know who it’s from.”

“You do this a lot? Get lots of notes?” He aimed for a smile, because green light or not, someone had driven right into him and his scooter, he remembered it now, and now he didn’t _want_ to look. He wanted to stare into the stranger’s green eyes and forget everything else.

“I am pretty popular. But uh, I don’t want to do this too often.” He did look a bit pale under his tan.

“It was fucking green,” Jean muttered, hearing sirens in the distance. “Your eyes are green.”

“I’ve noticed.” His grip slackened now he was convinced Jean wasn’t going to try and move again. “You’ll be okay,” he promised.

“Will you visit me?” Jean asked, knowing he wasn’t really entitled to. Knowing his mother would make too much of it. Knowing all these things.

“Sure. If you tell me your actual name, green-boy.”

“Jean. Don’t forget.” He was feeling light-headed. Maybe closing his eyes was a good idea. “And _you’re_ the green-boy,” he mumbled, floating away, anchored by the strong hands on his shoulders.


	106. Jean/Eren Canonverse

Jean had given some thought to what he’d say when (if) Eren ever came back,  but he hadn’t really made a decision. It seemed churlish to begrudge him his freedom, but what about _my_ freedom he thought despairingly sometimes. He was hemmed in by walls he hadn’t built himself, but had allowed himself to be led into. 

Had walked into with his head held high, unbowed under the memories of his predecessors. Pretending to be. He resented Eren for leaving all this to him. Felt guilty for resenting him; hadn’t he done enough? Knew, without any particular pride, that he was better at this than Eren would be.

He missed him, like anyone would miss an old friend, a comrade, even one they had quarreled with often. They’d stopped quarreling a long time ago. When Eren had left he’d almost -

Hadn’t done anything. Just watched him go, already rehearsing what he was going to say when he came back. If he came back.

He came back. The creak of the heavy oak door to Jean’s office had him reaching for the gun in his desk, but he didn’t draw it, as the bearded no-stranger slunk in and closed the door behind him. Jean had never really expected he wouldn’t come back, but nevertheless he was astonished that he was _here_.

Had come here first, clearly, still reeking of horse and sweat even from across the room. Anger, relief, _something,_ twisted in Jean’s chest, as he was no longer Field-Marshal of Her Majesty’s army, or whatever fucking title he held nowadays. Now he was just himself.

He wondered how much older he looked, as Eren stared at him with those burning eyes.

He didn’t know what to say, even has he’d spent these years fuming at Eren for walking out halfway through a conversation he hadn’t realised they were having.

He reached out, first to make sure he was real, then to make sure he was in one piece, and Eren leaned forward slightly, tiredly, and Jean hugged him, practically held him up. Eren lifted his arms and hugged him back, cautiously at first and then he squeezed so hard Jean couldn’t have spoken if he’d wanted to, if the warmth of Eren’s embrace hadn’t already answered the question he’d waited so long to ask.


	107. Levi/Eren Reincarnation AU

Levi hadn’t really believed in Eren, nor in a version of himself that could fly and cut like a scythe. (The latter he could perhaps believe; blades seemed come naturally to him, but you couldn’t call that proof.) But oh, what a pretty fantasy for a short, grim-faced loner, and so he couldn’t quite give him up, either.

He was hurrying to his next class, taking the shortest path across campus, heedless of where the actual footpaths were, autumn leaves crunching under his boots, his chin sunk to his breast not in melancholy but in appreciation of the colours at his feet.

He wasn’t aware of anyone shouting at him. He was thinking about his assignments. Thinking about the weekend. Thinking about taking a scarf next time.

He wasn’t aware of anyone thumping their shoulder against the glass wall of the walkway of the second floor of the science building.

Not until the glass broke.

He heard _that_ and snapped his head up in time to see a flailing figure, in a shower of broken safety glass, little cubes glittering in the weak sunlight.

Levi still couldn’t fly. But he did run. Forward, not out of the way (his mother worried about his lack of self-protective instincts.) He didn’t really catch him so much as break his fall, landing in a tangle of coats, the breath knocked out of him, something in his bag snapping broken, his face pressed into the fallen leaves as the glass rained down around them.

People were gathering around them, asking if they were okay, and someone was calling for help. Levi would have told them he was fine if he’d been able to disentangle himself but he was being practically smothered in a bone-crushing hug.

“Dramatic,” he wheezed.

“You should talk,” Eren said happily, and Levi supposed he had a point. The first time he’d introduced himself, standing on mountainous dead–Eren had told him later, years later, in a soft whisper against his neck, what kind of first impression he’d made.

Levi smiled, and believed, truly, that he could fly.


	108. Levi/Eren Canonverse: Rain is Healing

Levi lay on his back, his hands behind his head, his eyes slitted against the fine rain misting down on his face, beads of water collecting on his eyelashes and hair.

The sky above was clouded over, but the sun behind it all somewhere gave the grey a glow, and a diffuse warmth that contrasted with the cool of the rain as he watched the vague shapes of the clouds crossing the sky in solemn, unhurried waves, bringing heavier and lighter rain in turns.

He was still wrapped up in his coat and boots, and the oiled leather kept him mostly dry.

He could hear the wind in the trees nearby, and the twittering of birds. He could smell damp earth and stone. He knew he’d have to move eventually, but he’d warmed the earth beneath him and the soft ground and grasses were cradling him, and he’d been hovering on the edge of sleep for so long he had no idea what time it was. As long as the sky still glowed it couldn’t be too late.

The sound of unhesitating footsteps in the grass pulled him from his doze, but he didn’t open his eyes properly until he sensed someone bending over him.

“This is a bit premature, isn’t it?” Eren asked, a smile creasing his face, wisps of greying hair escaping his ponytail as he gazed down at him, eyes as bright as Levi had ever seen them.

“I like it here,” Levi mumbled, still waking himself up.

Eren’s head withdrew from his field of vision and he heard him flop down in the grass next to him, and then felt he weight of him against his side as he rolled close.

“It’s a nice graveyard,” Eren agreed. “They deserved somewhere nice,” he added more softly.

Levi felt Eren’s hair tickle his cheek as he pressed closer.

“Are you okay?” Eren asked.

“My mother used to say rain is healing,” he replied. “Fresh water was hard to come by underground, so I could see her point.”

“Is it your leg?”

“No. It healed as much as it’s going to a long time ago.” He sighed. “Everything else is a work in progress.”

Eren’s fingers were warm against his cheek.

“You’re chilled,” he said, before replacing his fingers with his lips, much warmer still.

“Mm.” Levi turned his head to him, couldn’t help it, even as he’d been relishing the cool, he appreciated Eren’s warmth more.

“When we go back,” Eren said. “Let’s use the first grade tea.”

“You always say that,” Levi said. “If we drank it every time you suggested it we’d drink nothing else.”

He felt rather than heard Eren chuckle.

“Fine,” Levi relented with no further argument, his imagination running ahead of them, ahead of the walk back to their house, to hanging the coats on the wall near the door, to the kettle starting to steam on the stove, tripping over the cats, unwrapping the brick of first grade tea, quiet amazement that he got to have this after all.

Eren helped him up, as his blood was sluggish after lying on the ground for so long, and Levi lent into him like Eren had taught him he could, if he wanted, because he didn’t have to be alone. But he could be that too, if he wanted, which he did sometimes.

They left side by side in comfortable silence, Levi raking his fingers through his damp hair and knowing he’d sleep well tonight, listening to the rain on the roof and Eren’s soft breathing.


	109. Levi/Eren Long Distance Relationship

The park was emptying. All afternoon the clouds had been piling up in the west, and now Levi could hear the distant rumble of thunder over the sound of the evening traffic on the other side of the park wall. He was sitting under a shelter, a thermos of green tea and two cups set neatly on the table, his briefcase leaning against the leg of the bench he was sitting on. He was about halfway through the thermos.

No one paid him much attention. He knew he scared the kids, and he didn’t make it worse by trying to smile when he returned the odd ball that ended up rolling in his direction.

Still he waited. He’d left work early for this, still dressed in his suit and tie. He didn’t look at his watch. Didn’t need to. Instead he watched the birds wheeling and cawing in the gusts of wind that sent the leaves skidding across the pond and neatly mown grass.

He only realised the roof of the shelter had holes in it when a drop of rain plunked neatly into his cup of tea. He shifted it two inches to the left. Two minutes later, another drop of water landed in the cup. At what point should he give up and go home? This was never meant to happen; this sort of thing didn’t happen to him. It had felt too good to be true from the start.

Rain was falling in earnest by now, hissing on the surface of the pond. Every couple of minutes a flash of lightning would precede another roll of thunder.

He would block him, Levi decided. Delete everything; the pictures, the videos, the texts, the voice messages. It would be too painful to keep them; a reminder of his own foolishness, sending money halfway across the country to someone he couldn’t say he truly knew for tickets. He deserved what he got.

He was staring blankly at the rain, when movement caused him to focus his gaze, something red–correction, someone _wearing_ red sprinting around the pond, head down hood up, a huge bag bouncing on his back. Levi didn’t dare hope. Hoped anyway. Slowly got to his feet.

He pounded across the grass, making a beeline for the shelter before throwing his hood back off his head as Levi could only stare, mesmerized, to see him in three dimensions.

“Oh god you waited,” he panted, his chest heaving. “I was … your fucking _phone_ why didn’t you…there was…” He gave up on cobbling together whatever chain of events had seen him so delayed. Instead he stared at Levi like he was drowning. He looked a bit drowned anyway, water dripping off him everywhere.

Levi held his hand out.

Eren shrugged his bag off his back carelessly, and took the last step and a half forward, past his hand and into his arms. He smelled like wet clothing and recycled air. He smelled like ozone and rain.

“Can I?” Eren asked, parted lips hovering an inch away from Levi’s. Levi didn’t answer. Instead he closed the gap, cupping Eren’s face with his hand, entirely failing to notice his teacup slowly filling with rain.


	110. Levi/Eren/Erwin Masquerade Ball AU

Eren blinked through the eyeholes of his mask as he tried to find someone he recognised in a sea of feathers and sequins and coloured paper, and fancy dressed and nearly identical suits. It had all sounded fun and exciting, but Amin’s grandfather had whisked him off somewhere and Mikasa had been inundated with requests to dance and Eren was now feeling increasingly adrift.

Finally he spotted Armin at the edge of the room and Eren made a beeline for him before he lost him again, trotting up behind him and flinging his arms around his neck.

It was only when he copped a handful of magnificently muscled chest and registered the breath and firmness of the body he was now holding did he realise it wasn’t Armin at all.

He jerked back drawing breath to apologise as the stranger he’d assaulted flinched and flung the contents of his glass over his shoulder and into Eren’s face and open mouth, drenching his mask and splattering his suit.

The alcohol and bubbles burned as Eren inhaled them, and he tried to wheeze out an apology as he coughed and spluttered.

“Are you all right?” the stranger asked.

Eren shook his head, still struggling to breathe and the stranger took his elbow and steered him off to the bathroom, which was lucky because Eren had no clue where they were. It was very fancy, all gold taps and marble but he didn’t get a chance to admire it. The stranger was actually pretty nice, if rather brusque. He took off Eren’s mask and tried to salvage what was left of it, as it was going a bit soggy and bedraggled, while Eren tried to blot down his suit, once he’d managed to breathe again.

“I’m Eren,” he ventured.

“We’re not supposed to reveal who we are or some shit,” he frowned. “Levi.”

“I’m sorry for tackling you,” Eren said. “I thought you were someone else.”

“Yeah, no shit. I don’t think I can rescue this,” Levi confessed.

“Well, you tried.” Eren didn’t really like the idea of being the only person without a mask in the entire room. His expression must have said as much because Levi took off his own mask, a handsome confection of blue paper and silver paint, and handed it to him.

“Here, it’s my fault yours got wrecked.”

“O-oh.” Damn. Eren was sort of starting to regret not groping him for longer as he stared at Levi’s uncovered face. “Thank you. I’ll give it back at the end.”

Eren decided to stay out of trouble after that and he decided to sit at a table and wait for his friends to find him. They were probably circling the room like he was and they’d miss each other. It was a relief to be out the way and he let himself relax for a while, flagging down waiters with trays of food whenever he saw them.

“So that’s where you’ve run to.” Eren stiffened in surprise as someone leaned down and spoke into his ear. It was an utter stranger that loomed over him, his mask covering only half his face. Eren gaped at him, lost for words as he stared up at him. “Hmm. I recognise the mask,” he said. Eren didn’t move as he lifted his hand and hooked one finger under the bottom of Eren’s borrowed mask, lifting it off his face. “But not the person wearing it.”

Eren swallowed nervously. “Are you looking for Levi?”

He smiled and pulled out a chair to sit next to him. “Not anymore. I rather expect he’ll eventually come to us, anyway.”

Eren’s phone vibrated. Mikasa.

_where r u? do u need a rescue?_

Eren glanced up in time to see Levi emerging from the crowd.

 _I’m fine._ He didn’t want to be rescued any more.


	111. Levi/Eren High School AU 4

Does he ping my gaydar or is it just wishful thinking, an epic in five parts, Eren thought as he watched Levi and the other members of the basketball team head out towards the front gate. You couldn’t really ignore Levi, although Eren tried. He was half the height of the rest of the team, and yet he was still their best asset.

He practically flew. He didn’t really stand out in class, he didn’t make trouble or get anything above or below average grades, but his very indifference to everything but basketball made him magnetic. He never went out with girls, although there was no shortage of volunteers if he’d wanted to. If he was gay, he wasn’t out.

Eren sort of wished in hindsight he’d kept his mouth shut about it as well. Too late now. It didn’t really bother him; he wasn’t afraid of getting into fights. Mostly he didn’t care whether he was popular or not. He just wanted to go to space and maybe kiss Levi Ackerman.

Which meant, if he was serious about this and he was as serious as it was possible to get when you’re sixteen, he had to do very well in maths and physics and he was constantly lugging around huge textbooks and putting in hours at the school library, which was where he was gazing at Levi from this particular afternoon.

The team split up, and Eren could see them beckoning Levi to come with them wherever they were going, and Levi just shrugged and went his own way, his bag over his back.

He’s so cool, Eren thought.

“Hey.”

Eren looked up to see Levi standing over his desk, and the clatter and chatter of the class packing up to leave faded from his attention. “Um?”

“Are you working with Armin for the biology assignment?”

Eren glanced at Armin who grinned and gave him a thumbs up and pointed at Marco.

“Well, no? Did you want to work with me?”

“Yeah. The library, right?”

“Okay.” Usually Levi just worked with one of his teammates if he was obliged to. “Why?” Eren asked before he could leave again.

“Because I need good marks,” Levi said.

Right, figured. Not that Eren was going to turn him down, even if he was just being used for a better grade.

Levi didn’t expect him to do all the work at least. He showed up when they agreed to meet and after seeing his attempts at botanical illustrations Eren suggested he take over writing the notes instead while Eren drew.

What do I say, Eren wondered as he watched Levi work. This might be his only chance but where to even begin?

“Um, so, what’s it like to be cool?” Eren asked, and immediately gave up on his dreams to become an astronaut because it was obvious he needed to concentrate on inventing time travel so he could go back and stop himself from opening his mouth.

“Huh?” Levi stared at him.

“Um, nevermind. Forget it.”

“What kind of question is that? You’re cooler than I am.”

Now it was Eren’s turn to stare. Levi frowned at him, like he’d failed to see something obvious. “Okay, so, people like you, you’re out, you get amazing marks, you’ve got this like, dream and you just go for it, and you don’t let anything stop you. That’s cool.”

“But. I mean.” Eren cast about for a piece of logic to grab onto. “Isn’t your dream to play basketball?”

“No? I mean, I guess if I can make money at it but I’m not _that_ good. I’m not good at much, really.” He looked down at his notes. “I can’t talk to people.”

“You’re talking to me.”

Levi gave him an awkward smile, and then an awkward silence.

“So, um, do you have a dream? What do you want to do if it’s not basketball.”

“It’s kind of stupid,” Levi said. He took a deep breath. “I want to open a tea shop, like, with little tables and chairs and umbrellas, and all different kinds of tea, and cakes and slices like my mother used to make.” He shut down again. “I guess. Dumb, isn’t it?”

Eren realised he was probably gaping at him in shock. “No! I think it’s great. It sounds really cute.” You’re really cute. Eren chewed his lip nervously. “We should like, visit some tea shops.”

“What?”

“Well, you have to know what’s been done right, and what works. I mean, if you wanted to.”

“Okay.”

“Good.” Eren grinned.


	112. Levi/Eren/Erwin Sailing Ship AU

“Take him with you,” Erwin had said earnestly. “He deserves a chance to go to sea. He’ll serve you well and I wouldn’t trust any other captain.”

And Levi had looked at Eren, so bright-eyed and expectant and he should have said no, but at the time he was merely concerned with making sure Erwin’s special friend received no special treatment and that the rest of the crew didn’t know his backstory.

And he’d agreed. And Erwin hadn’t lied; Eren was an asset to the crew. He’d had experience on local fishing boats, and what he lacked in nautical knowledge he made up for in courage and enthusiasm.

Levi had assumed Erwin had told him to stay out of battle, but either Eren was ignoring him or Levi had been mistaken because when the time came to board the crippled pirate ship Eren was right there with them, swinging a sword without hesitation. Levi could see what Erwin saw in him, why he’d moved to some out of the way fishing village for him to retire rather than taking a young wife and going into trade in the City.

Erwin must have told him about Levi because Eren openly admired him, to the amusement of the crew. He’d follow him about hang on to every word he spoke and it was flattering. Too flattering. And they both missed Erwin, and too often Levi would end up reminiscing while Eren listened, and eventually venturing his own stories.

Levi taught him to take readings and to plot a course on a map, and the sun had bleached streaks in his dark brown hair that glowed gold under lamplight and Levi wondered if he should detour, take another six months.

He didn’t. He wasn’t that sort of man.

“I’ll miss you,” Eren said. They were two days from port, and while most of the crew slept, save for those on watch, they were on the fore-deck, as they often were, just talking.

“Hm.”

“When you retire, you should come and live near us,” Eren said enthusiastically. “There are some lovely cottages and we could go out fishing and-”

“What sort of life would that be?” Levi snapped, and Eren’s eyes widened, and Levi realised he’d given away too much. “You belong with him,” Levi muttered and turned and went back below deck, aware of Eren staring after him.

He kept his distance after that. Erwin was waiting for them when they docked, presumably having spent the morning peering through a spyglass from his clifftop home. Eren bounded down the gangplank and into what everyone politely pretended was a paternal embrace, while Levi busied himself with the usual administrative tasks. He knew he couldn’t avoid them forever, however, and that evening he made his way up the hill to Erwin’s house.

“He’s still dressing for dinner,” Eren said as he took Levi’s coat. Despite being scrubbed and combed and in neat, clean clothes, he still looked recently debauched.

“I see.”

Eren heaved a sigh, as impolite as that was. “Captain,” he began. “What I said, it doesn’t have to be like that.” Levi flinched as Eren reached out and brushed his fingers across the back of his hand. “Just, you know, think about it.”

“Think about what?” Erwin asked, descending the stairs.

“Finally,” Eren said with an affectionate look. “Now you can entertain our guest and I’m going to see how dinner’s getting on. Pour him a drink,” he ordered Erwin as he darted off, smiling at them.

“From that I’m to assume you need one?” Erwin asked.

“I think you will as well,” Levi replied.


	113. Levi/Eren Celebrity AU

Eren was sleeping peacefully when he heard something tap on the glass of his window. Tap tap tap. Then again, louder, as he jerked to wakefulness. He lived on the third floor.

Wondering if it was an owl or something, he got out of bed and peered out. And promptly shrieked as his eyes focused on a white face floating in the air beyond the glass. Grabbing a lamp, and determined to sell his life dearly, he flicked on the light, and the demonic face turned out to be attached to a body, which was clinging on to his windowsill. Actually now he was well and truly awake, he recognised that face.

He should, it was all over his walls. “Levi!” He put the lamp down and hurried over to open the window. “How did you get to the third floor?”

“I climbed.” He shimmied through the window like he did this sort of thing all the time and then peered out. Eren joined him, goosebumps rising on his chest and arms in the cold air. Fuck. Pants.

He couldn’t see anything outside so he ducked away and scraped something off his floor to wear.

“Um, so.”

“Sorry for waking you up. Fucking photographers everywhere. I couldn’t go round the front and wait for you to buzz me up.”

“That’s okay,” Eren said, wishing he’d had time to tidy his room or take down his posters. “Uh, Mikasa gives me a lot of your merch,” he said, as Levi looked around his room.

“Yeah, she said you’re a fan.”

So much for that. “Um, can I get you some tea?” Eren asked. Levi had mentioned a preference for tea in an interview once and his fans had leaped upon it; he got offered tea everywhere he went. “It’s nothing fancy.”

“If you’ve got some, that would be pretty good.” He looked tired, and he took off his jacket and followed Eren into his little kitchen. “I won’t keep you up long,” Levi said. “I’ll call the company and get them to send a car.”

“Why were you in the area, anyway?” Eren asked.

“Visiting Isabel. I just can’t let them find out about her. They’d get the wrong idea, and they’d never leave her alone. She deserves better than that. I haven’t seen her for months.” He looked up from the table and met Eren’s eyes. “And I haven’t seen you in _years_. I’m pretty lucky I remembered you lived here.”

“So am I,” Eren said with a shaky laugh. “Um. Tea.” How many times had he fantasized about serving Levi tea like this?

“Mikasa talks about you a lot,” Levi said. “I’m glad she’s got a friend like you. I’m not really around as much as I should be.”

“She appreciates you!” Eren said. “She knows how hard you worked to provide for her. She’s really proud of you.”

Levi smiled at him, and Eren felt like his year had been made. They didn’t say much more but when Levi left, he suggested they should do this again sometime. Eren didn’t know if he was just being polite or not.

Levi’s jacket was still over the back of his chair. Eren picked it up carefully and smoothed it out, and couldn’t resist wearing it to college the next day, wrapped in Levi’s scent.

_LEVI’S SECRET GAY LOVER Sharing Clothes and Midnight Trysts_

Eren stared at the grainy picture of himself wearing the distinctive jacket on the cover of Who Weekly, and buried his face in his hands.


	114. Levi/Eren Cop AU

Eren didn’t mind the Monday night shifts. They were almost always guaranteed to be quiet and one of the radio stations had a regular jazz night, and it was about as relaxing as he could expect his job to get.

It was sometime after one when he saw the flash of headlights in his rearview mirror and he raised the radar gun. The Range Rover was unfamiliar and looked pretty new, and Eren’s lip curled as it shot past, at least fifteen over the limit.

“Bloody townies,” he muttered as he flashed his lights. The Range Rover slowed to a stop, at least and by the time Eren had got out of the car and walked up to the driver’s side window, the driver had his licence out. Very obliging.

“Good morning, sir,” Eren said, pleasantly enough. The driver, Levi Ackerman according to the licence, looked like he’d just got out of bed and had gotten dressed in the dark, his clothes rumpled and his face not much better. “Do you know how fast you were going?”

He sighed. “Too fast. I know. It’s an emergency.” He scowled, although not at Eren himself. “If they’d called me fucking earlier. Look, give me a ticket if you’re going to, do you know how to get to seventy-four Cedar Creek Road? I only started work here last week.” There was something in his manner that suggested he was being entirely serious; Eren recognised the look. He wore it himself.

“Yeah look it’s-” Eren trailed off as he considered how to describe the best way to navigate the ill-signed country roads in the dark. He put his notebook away. “Just follow me, all right? And stick to the limit in future; a lot of people die on these roads, emergency or not.”

“Thank you, officer.”

Eren’s shift finished at six, and he wearily trudged back into the station to clock off.

“Fuck, what happened to you?” Annie asked from behind the front desk, eyeing off the blood stains on his uniform.

“I had to help deliver a baby,” Eren said.

“Jesus. Boy or girl?”

“Horse.”


	115. Levi/Eren Modern AU 8

Eren had his phone in his hand so he could watch the minutes tick down as he ran, his bag jostling him as he sprinted for the train. He’d make it, he’d make it- was that the sound of the train approaching?

He rounded the last corner, determined to make it with one last burst of speed, when he slammed into someone coming the other way. Perhaps tripped over him was a better way of putting it, because Eren had to look down before he saw who he’d run into and by then it was too late, the two of them were going over.

There was a loud _crack_ as they hit the pavement, Eren’s arms instinctively wrapping around the stranger’s head to try and protect it. Christ that sounded bad, he thought and propped himself up on his arms to look down the length of the body he was sprawled across.

“Oh my God, I’ve broken your leg!” Eren said, staring at the cast, aghast. “I’m so sorry.”

“Get off me,” his victim grumbled, and pushed him, firmly but gently, in the chest until Eren released him. “It was already broken,” he pointed out. “That’s why it’s in a cast. What you _did_ break,” he shifted and pulled out several pieces of splintered wood from underneath him. “Was my crutch.”

“Oh.” Eren stared at the guy, who was awkwardly sitting up and scowling. “But are you okay?”

“Yeah, although it’s gonna be a fucking pain the arse to get home now.” There was clearly no mending the crutch.

“You can use me,” Eren said. “Since it’s my fault, and I’ve just missed my train.” He sighed. “They’re gonna fire me anyway.”

“Take a picture,” the stranger suggested. 

“What?”

“You’re helping an old man get home after he broke his crutch. That’s gotta be a good reason, right?”

“Well, yeah. But you’re not that old!” It was worth a try. “What’s your name?”

“Levi.”

Eren took a picture and sent it to Petra along with a text and hoped it would be enough. Then he helped Levi to his feet, and realised, kind of awkwardly, that the latter was too short to lean an arm on his shoulder easily. He ended up looping his arm through Eren’s instead, and hopping along with grim determination, the remains of his crutch in his other hand.

“So um,” Eren said, after realising he’d been staring at Levi’s face creepily for the last two minutes. “You’re pretty chill about this.”

“I’m fucking bored,” Levi said. “I’ve had this cast on for nearly a week and I’m going nuts. At least this was interesting.” He glanced up at Eren and Eren looked away abruptly.

“Well um, you know if you’re bored maybe I could hang out sometime if you want?”

“If you promise not to break any more of my shit,” Levi said, but he was smiling.


	116. Levi/Eren Cosplayer AU

Levi sorted through his photographs as he worked out which ones he wanted to post. His favourites were the action shots, and Isabel had been very patient, taking photo after photo from a truly awkward position on the ground while he tried to get a flying kick just right.

He didn’t like showing his face. He always looked, well, wrong. Not like his character should look; too short, too scowly, too much like himself.

That one was okay, he thought. The sun had been setting by that point and it slanted just right to hide his amateurish attempts at makeup. He really should try and get into some live action fandoms, he thought. At least he’d have something actually achievable to aim at.

It wasn’t like anyone would notice anyway, he thought. Everyone liked his action shots. His forearms had _fans_. He posted the picture in among all the others, still feeling weirdly nervous anyway.

No one would notice. Someone noticed.

_Finally get to see your face! Your makeup looks great :3 So do you ofc_

Levi didn’t know how to respond so he clicked over to the commenter’s profile and was met with a whole lot of face. Was this guy kidding? Levi’s makeup looked crap compared to the art he’d plastered all over his own skin.

Levi said as much. _Bullshit it is. Yours is way better._ As soon as he hit send he regretted it. Couldn’t he just be gracious for once? He’d never been good with compliments.

Luckily _rougetitan (IT’S NOT A SPELLING ERROR IT’S A PUN)_ didn’t take it personally.

 _It’s just practice,_ he replied. _Like how you work out._

They kept talking, and rougetitan became Eren and Levi thought he was finally getting the hang of this making friends thing. Only he’d totally overshot the mark, because Eren was kind and gorgeous and funny and far too far away. Safely far away as well; he didn’t need to know how Levi felt.

Until he wasn’t, until his delighted announcement that he was going to fly in to attend a con Levi had already bought tickets for had him breaking out in a cold sweat. This was agonising.

At least he wouldn’t be going as himself. His costume and makeup would hide him. He hoped.

He waited for Levi near the entrance, among all the other people making last minute adjustments and greeting friends, and he posed whenever someone asked for a photo, but his attention was always on the stream of people walking up from the parking area.

“Levi!”

He hadn’t recognised Eren at first; he’d been keeping the finer details of his costume a secret and suddenly he was right in front of him.

“Hi,” Levi said, dazzled.

“Oh my god those costumes are amazing.” Levi heard someone say as cameras came out. “I ship it.”

Eren beamed, “So do I,” he said and Levi didn’t say anything, but he didn’t stop Eren putting his arm around him either.


	117. Levi/Eren Fake Dating Wedding AU

Eren was the kind of friendly, gregarious person who would normally be an enthusiastic wedding participant. There were many pictures of him as a child smiling away at family weddings, and to see his friends happy was something he truly appreciated.

But this time he was having trouble summoning up any real enjoyment out of it. He’d come to the realisation, just that morning as he practiced his speech, that everyone in his little group of friends had paired themselves up except for him. Sasha and Connie had been dating since high school, Mikasa and Jean had that weird love-hate thing that seemed to be tipping towards the former, and Armin’s discreet and low-key romance with Annie was the reason they were all gathered here today to witness blah blah.

He couldn’t even blame it on being gay because Annie’s two best friends (bridesmen?) had been all over each other all evening, loudly and disgustingly planning their own wedding next year. At least with Armin himself getting married he couldn’t pay attention to Eren and realise what was up. He didn’t want to be so transparent, and Armin could always see through his fake smiles.

With his speech finally over with, Eren decided he was going to hold up the bar for a while. People were coming and going so he sidled to the end to stay out of the way and realised someone else had got there first. 

Eren had no clue who this guy was; he had to be attached to Annie’s side somehow, but he looked about the way Eren felt. Eren nodded at him when he looked up, but was more interested in flagging down the bartender.

Silence. It was nice to have a moment of peace. Armin was an incredibly nervous groom and Eren felt like he’d been holding him together for the past week. Now that was Annie’s responsibility, he supposed.

He was listening with half an ear to the conversations swirling around him when he heard Annie’s buff blond friend say something about ‘baby gay’ and ‘cheer him up’ and when he glanced up he and his boyfriend were heading Eren’s way.

Oh fuck no. He did not need a pity party. Or advice. Or a threesome. Or anything.

He glanced at the guy next to him, who was watching his facial antics with mild interest. Well, he was pretty clearly unattached, and frankly not too bad looking, if you liked them short.

“Hey,” Eren said urgently. “Be my boyfriend.” Fingers crossed he’s not a bigot, Eren thought. “Just for these idiots, please? I don’t need an intervention.”

“Are you sure about that?” He raised an eyebrow, looking amused. But he didn’t say no, exactly.

Eren had no time to retort, because Reiner and Betholt were upon them.

“Hey guys,” Eren said, before they could get a word in. He smiled brightly. “Have you met my boyfriend?”

“Levi,” the stranger said, solving the mystery of his actual name at least. He spun his bar stool around to face them, and then placed his hand on Eren’s arm. Polite, Eren thought; they had no time to discuss what this little act might actually involve, and Eren grinned at him and scooted closer so their shoulders bumped.

Getting a bit handsy with a stranger was kind of fun, he thought. “Did you like my speech?” Eren asked, keen to avoid any further questions on the topic of Levi.

Before Eren could get rid of Reiner and Bertholt, other people approached to congratulate him on his speech and Levi got introduced again. Eren shot him an apologetic look. He’d owe this guy a million drinks afterwards, he thought, but he actually looked a bit cheered up by the pretense; maybe he was just enjoying watching Eren squirm, although he spoke up whenever Eren was asked something he couldn’t answer.

They actually made a pretty good team.

“I think we’re gonna have to keep this up all evening,” Eren said when they were finally left to themselves again. “Too many people know now.”

“Or we could just leave,” Levi said. “I wasn’t planning on staying late.”

“Well.” Eren thought about this. “Yeah, I guess we could.” He’d sort of felt obligated but really, his job was done, wasn’t it? He could get out of here. “Let’s go!” he said, and after a moment’s hesitation, grabbed Levi’s hand.

“You realise everyone’s gonna think we’re going home to fuck,” Levi said as they wound their way towards the exits.

“A good excuse to leave then,” Eren said over his shoulder. “It’s probably what I’d do if we _were_ dating,” he said blithely. Kind of envious of his fictional self, if he was honest. Now he wasn’t hunched over the bar, Levi looked pretty good in a suit.

“Really?”

They escaped out onto the street and Eren released Levi’s hand and looked at his watch. “Wow, we got out of there early.” He felt a bit awkward as they stood there. “What are you going to do?”

“Eat. My dinner sucked.”

“I couldn’t eat much of mine. I was too nervous about my speech. Let me buy you something.” At Levi’s look he added. “It’s the least I owe you for your help.”

“It’s not like it was a hardship,” Levi said. “I’m not gonna turn down free food.”

As they wandered off Eren got a text from Armin. _Since when are you dating Annie’s coach?_


	118. Levi/Eren Soulmates AU

Eren could hear someone crying when he walked into the classroom. Hanna was clutching her phone, several girls hovering solicitously around her as she sobbed.

“What’s going on? Did they break up?” Eren asked as he went to his usual seat. Levi looked up from the last-minute homework he was doing.

“He’s got work on the night of the comet,” Levi said. “So they can’t be soulmates or something.”

“Ugh. Everyone knows those two are practically married. What difference is a comet going to make?”

Levi shrugged. The arrival of the comet had been in the news for some weeks, and the adolescent population had collectively decided that to see the comet pass with someone was to guarantee that you were soulmates. Restaurants were now offering comet viewing dinners, and some people were making gigantic plans to meet on the night in question.

In Eren’s opinion it was a good way to ruin a perfectly good natural phenomenon.

“There’s even going to be a comet viewing festival at the school,” he grumbled. The whole soulmates thing was such a load of crap. “Hey,” he prodded Levi in the side.

Levi scowled at him. “What?”

“What are you doing on the comet night?”

“I dunno. I kind of want to see it but I hate crowds and I won’t be able to see shit from our apartment. And what if some random person latches onto me and thinks they’re my soulmate?”

Eren was pretty sure Levi’s aura would keep people away, but he decided not to say that. “Come to my place. We can watch in the backyard and then hang out and play games.”

“Yeah, all right.”

Eren half expected the night would be cloudy and they wouldn’t be able to see anything, but as evening fell stars twinkled in the night sky. They flopped on the grass with soda and chips, and listened to the cicadas sing while they waited for the comet to appear.

Eren was playing games on his phone when Levi exclaimed, “There it is!”

He looked up to see a streak of light in the sky, pale gold, brighter than he’d expected, the tail fanning out.

“Wow.”

Eren stared at it for a long time, and then he found himself looking at Levi, whose expression was peaceful as he gazed at the sky. If Levi hadn’t been here, he might not have done more than glance at the comet. As dumb as the whole soulmate thing was, it would have been a bit depressing to watch it on his own.

But there was no one else he wanted to watch it with either.

“Let’s watch it together when it comes around again,” Eren said.

Levi looked at him. “It only happens once every thousand years or so you realise.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

~~

“Captain, Captain!” Levi jolted awake, automatically reaching for his blades. Eren drew back slightly. “It’s okay, you need to see this.”

“Do I?” he asked, but he was moving, pulling on his boots while Eren scrambled out of the tent and hovered impatiently while he waited for Levi to appear. He’d been on watch, but he was pretty sure it was a formality by this point.

“Come on,” he said in a hushed tone, and led Levi out from under the trees they’d made camp below. “Look at that!” He pointed to the sky.


	119. Levi/Eren Canonverse: Levi Keeps Secrets

Levi keeps secrets.

His first secret is fear. A child of the underground, nevertheless he had caught glimpses of the sky, yearned for it. He’d left the walls and felt something unfurl in him, like a caged beast slowly accepting it was free. He loves the sky. Furtively, awkwardly, he takes brushes and paint and charcoal to paper and pins the blotchy blue and grey results to the walls of his rooms. Sometimes he thinks he’s improving. Mostly his best work is accidental.

He has an endless sky. A gift of no horizon.

His fear is endless too. It has no horizon. He tastes it every day, breathes it in, lives with it, watches the sun glint off it, watches the cloud shadows swallow great swathes of it, tracks the birds and fish and bigger things (dolphin, whale, narwhal, shark, seal; he has books that tell him these things) that live in it with a kind of resentful respect.

He fears, and strives to understand, like a farmhand charged with tending a bull, he learns its moods, or tries to, watches closely, wonders if it senses his fear, talks to it. Fuck the ocean. It never stops moving; it’s exhausting.

Levi doesn’t turn his back on it either.

His second secret is pain.

Make an old man with a dodgy ankle scramble up those rocks. Stride through that sand. Climb those stairs. Carry oil, firewood, water.

At some points in his life, pride was all he had, and so he clings to it. Does his best to follow the advice he’d paid for, but when something needs doing it must be done, regardless of how his knees and hips and back aches. Rest is a luxury. He will be relied upon, he is determined, until he dies.

He doesn’t die. But he limps sometimes, unobserved. Bandages his joints carefully. Smells of herbal ointment he doesn’t quite believe does anything. He doesn’t complain. Endures.

His third secret is impatience.

He scans the horizon a thousand times a day, not just when he’s sketching. Every time he passes a window he looks out. Leans over the railing at night, not stargazing, the flames warming his back, soothing his aches and pains a little as he looks for an answering light out on the sea. Stays up there too long, reluctantly goes downstairs for tea and fruit cake with watery eyes and cold hands, peering out the window as he waits for the water to boil.

If asked, he’s busy. If asked, his art fills up all the hours. If asked, he’s perfectly content although if you _do_ happen to find some more tea for a good price, he will send you more of those disgusting specimens you like so much should any wash up on the shore. He checks for them every day, as it’s all part of being busy. Time flies; it’s storm season soon already. He’ll be busier than ever. He hasn’t looked at the horizon once since you arrived.

His fourth secret in the sum of all his other secrets, and he wonders if it’s even a secret at all. He cannot hide the way he clings to the edge of the world like a limpet in its shell, clings to life itself with a determination he never imagined he’d feel. Fears, aches, waits.

Is rewarded. Is rewarded with an answering light, as he blinks water out of his eyes, buffeted by the wind, spray hurled twenty feet in the air by the rocks below him. Is rewarded by a night without sleep, listening to the thunder and rain and the roar of the wind-raked flames. Peering out the window, just to make sure he hadn’t imagined the light.

Is rewarded with a calm morning, a stiff neck, roused from his dozing by the stove by a hammering on his door, he falls over himself opening it.

He is rewarded with smiles and bright green eyes and encircling arms and gentle fingers. He’s rewarded with look what we found and this reminded me of you. He’s rewarded with next spring at the earliest, he’s rewarded with I missed you and let’s have breakfast and go to bed because I haven’t slept either.

He sleeps, and is rewarded further with numberless, nameless things. He is observed, every aspect of his existence perhaps obvious.

His fourth secret is love, and within it he has no secrets at all.


	120. Levi/Eren/Jean Band AU part 3

“Am I not a genius?” Jean asked rhetorically.

Eren answered him anyway, as best he could with his jaw hanging open. “Uhuh.”

“He doesn’t have to do that stuff you know, I guess he was a janitor for so long it’s force of habit.”

The object of their intense scrutiny was helping the roadies, obeying directions without hesitation, a sheen of sweat on his bare arms and a blank expression on his face. Jean’s genius was to give Levi one of his own tank-tops, and the older man was practically bursting out of it.

“I should be envious,” Jean said. “He looks better in it that I do.”

“Mhm,” Eren nodded.

Jean scowled at him, “That’s not very supportive. We should get him into your jeans.”

“Mhm.” Eren shook his head and blinked, “I mean, no. He wouldn’t fit. Literally wouldn’t fit.” He’d given it a bit of thought.

The label was still not convinced that Levi matched their target demographic, and so they’d decided to give him a low-key debut in their home city, a barely-advertised show in one of the large pubs they’d played in when they were still unsigned. Hopefully it would be enough to convince the suits that Levi had what it took, and then they could make it official.

Because they were both in agreement that it had to be Levi. It wasn’t just the way he played, or the fact that despite not exactly being conventionally handsome or tall he looked ridiculously good once they got him out of his janitor’s overalls, it was the way he could shut down their bickering with a look. They both knew they needed someone to keep them from arguing too seriously; before they’d recruited Reiner they’d broken and reformed the band about five times.

“This is gonna be great,” Jean said. “They’re gonna love him.”

Ten minutes before they were scheduled to go on, Eren was having second thoughts.

“Well?” he asked anxiously as he ran up to Jean, although it was clear he wasn’t hiding Levi in his back pocket or anything.

“The bouncers haven’t seen him leave,” Jean said, raising his hand to tug at his hair and then realising it would mess up his style. “He’s not with the VIPs?”

“I didn’t think it was likely he’d go up and introduce himself anyway. I had to pretend I was there to suck up to them.” They definitely didn’t want the label to know their pick had gone missing just before a show. “Lets try the dressing room again? Maybe he’s materialised.”

They hurried back, waving away someone trying to tell them it was nearly time and Eren yelled as he saw Levi, his coat on, hurrying towards the back exit. He didn’t stop to think; he ran, and before Levi could open the door and escape into the night, Eren tackled him, sort of, Levi rebounding off the door with a grunt as Eren wrapped his arms around his thighs and squeezed as hard as he could to stop him walking away.

Jean jogged up in his wake.

“I’m sorry,” Levi said, trying to dislodge Eren. “I can’t do this. Get your nose out of my arse crack, for fuck’s sake!”

“No,” Eren said, hanging on as tightly as he could, his cheek pressed to Levi’s arse. These weren’t the circumstances he’d imagined getting up close and personal.

“What’s wrong, Levi?” Jean asked. “You can’t leave now, it’s nearly time to go on.”

“You’ll be better without me. You don’t need me. It’ll all go wrong.”

“He’s got stage fright,” Jean said. “I didn’t think anything could scare him.”

“I admit it, all right? Now let me go. This was a bad idea.”

Eren tried to catch Jean’s eye. What were they supposed to do now? They couldn’t actually force Levi onto the stage. Jean was the charming one, the negotiator.

 _Do something_ , Eren thought, as loudly as he could. He couldn’t wrap himself around Levi’s thighs forever, even if there were far worse ways to spend his time.

“Okay look,” Jean began. “You don’t have to join our band.” At Eren’s raised eyebrows he shot him a look, warning him to be quiet. “But we need someone for this gig, okay? So can you cover for us? Just for one show? No big deal, we don’t even have to introduce you, and you can run away afterwards. Please, Levi.”

He gazed at him beseechingly, and Eren knew how hard it was to resist those honey-coloured eyes when he pleaded with them.

Levi sighed. “I… okay.”

Eren let him go and slumped to the floor. Levi looked pale and shaky and miserable, but he bunched his fists and nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Trust me,” Jean murmured in Eren’s ear as he pulled him to his feet.

Eren didn’t have much choice, but when Levi thrashed his way through their third encore, roaring back at the crowd, his eyes alight, Eren vowed he was never going to doubt Jean’s instincts again.

They dozed on and off, leaning against each other in the back of the car hours later, Eren cuddling his guitar to his chest and the driver silent in the front seat. Jean stirred as their apartment building came into view.

“So,” he mumbled. “Was it firm?”

“So firm,” Eren sighed. “Like goddamn granite. I guess I’ll let you can tackle him next time.”


	121. Levi/Eren/Jean Band AU Part 4

Levi watched as Jean draped his arm around Eren’s shoulders and said something into his ear with a wide grin. Eren laughed and poked his tongue out, and Jean pulled a face and pretended to recoil.

But they stayed close, those two.

Levi sort of thought they would have mentioned it if they were actually together, but with the way they acted sometimes he honestly wasn’t sure. It wasn’t really his business, he supposed, only that it was; Eren had told him flat out that he was good at shutting down their arguments, and doing that for a couple seemed weird and inappropriate.

Levi was ushered forward next, to be included in the photograph. The label still wasn’t sure how to ‘massage him into the band’s core brand’ as one of the bright, interchangeable young PR people had put it and Levi wished he didn’t even have to try. Some bullshit never changed.

They wanted him to watch all the band’s old interviews, and Levi put on a dutiful look and agreed, but secretly it wasn’t such a hardship.

They were both gorgeous, those two; fresh faced and charismatic, and Levi watched them joke and giggle and prod each other, squirming across a variety of TV talk show couches, along with their ex-bandmate Reiner. They’d always been all over each other, apparently, and Levi wondered why the PR people hadn’t told them to put a stop to it. Some of their comments were downright suggestive.

Levi didn’t need the mental images of the lean, leggy young men wrapped around each other like that, their stories of sharing hotel rooms and the back of a van working all too vividly on his imagination.

He didn’t know what to make of this whole situation sometimes; no one gets a second chance like that, a rediscovery and the opportunity to return to the stage after all those years. That alone seemed too much to expect, and here he was with two frankly beautiful young men who apparently saw in him nothing but good things. Even after they found out about his stage fright they seemed to think it was just something to manage rather than a deal-breaker.

He should be more grateful, and stop imagining them naked at the very least.

“At least you’ve done all this before,” Jean said when the shoot was over and they were heading back in the car. “It was a hell of a learning curve for us.”

“Mm.” Levi didn’t feel like discussing it; he’d felt like a third wheel for most of the time, and he doubted no amount of massaging the message was going to change that. How could it? He was a decade older than they were, and they’d almost literally found him in the trash.

He could almost sense them looking at each other, trying to work out why he was in a bad mood. Did they really know him so well so fast? Or maybe it wasn’t him at all, and they were silently communicating about more personal things.

“We should work on our narrative,” Eren said, when they’d retreated back to the boys’ apartment. Levi had sort of wanted to leave, but they had work to do. “They’re gonna keep bugging us until we have something.” He frowned. “We need something.”

Levi watched Eren return from the fridge and choose a seat across from Jean, flopping into it and somehow managing not to spill his drink. They always pulled apart when he was with them, and it was starting to bug him a little. He wasn’t prejudiced or anything.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” he said.

“Do what?” Eren asked.

“Act distant with each other when I’m here. I’m not going to be bothered,” he lied slightly. It didn’t bug him for the obvious reasons at least.

“We’re not?” Jean looked puzzled.

Levi rolled his eyes. “You were practically sitting in his lap earlier.”

“Oh that!” Eren laughed, a little awkwardly. “It’s for the cameras, you know.”

“What?”

“The fans love it,” Jean explained. “The idea that we might be fucking in private. They get really invested. So,” he shrugged. “We play up to it a bit.”

“Don’t worry, Levi, we won’t make you do it,” Eren assured him.

“Too old?” Levi suggested wryly.

“No. I mean, you wouldn’t like it, right?”

He could feel their eyes on him, and he resisted the urge to squirm in his chair. He wished desperately he’d never raised the topic to start with.

“I wouldn’t really mind,” he said eventually. “I mean, if they like it.”

“Well that’s great!” Eren said, with more enthusiasm than Levi thought was necessary. “We know our narrative now, don’t we?”

Levi got the distinct impression they were communicating via eye contact again.

“And he was so good!” Jean declared, beaming at the host. “We were like, we have to get this guy to play with us.”

“And then we got him out of those overalls,” Eren said, leaning against Levi on the other side. “And look at this!” He grabbed Levi’s bicep and Levi flexed good-naturedly as the crowd oohed.

“Oh my God, those arms,” the host said, pulling a shocked and delighted face for the camera. “Can I touch them?” she asked.

And Levi, firmly wedged between his bandmates, Jean’s thigh pressed against his own and Eren’s breath tickling his ear, wasn’t sure if he was in heaven or hell, but he wouldn’t have traded it for anything.


	122. Levi/Eren/Erwin Arranged Marriage AU

Eren heard Levi before he saw him, his boots ringing on the stone floor before he rounded the corner, his long, formal coat flapping at his heels, his gloved hands bunched tightly into fists, and his face set in a truly formidable scowl, which on Levi was saying something.

Eren’s stomach dropped, and he felt his resolve to make the best of this situation start to crack. He’d been kneeling by a bed of flowers, rather desultorily prodding the ground with a trowel, and he got to his feet, brushing any grass off his knees and hurried over.

“Levi-”

“Not now, Eren.”

“What happened?” He looked so miserable, Eren’s heart ached.

Levi merely shrugged. “I doesn’t matter. You don’t need to worry.” 

None of this was right at all. He’d promised himself he wasn’t going to say anything, that he wouldn’t make it harder on them. He should be there to support him, but the words were tumbling out before he could stop them. “I have to worry. I love you. I’m completely and utterly in love with you. Please don’t get married.”

“Do you think I want any of this shit?” Levi turned on him, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. “An Ackerman must be married, and if it’s not me it’ll be Mikasa. She’s twelve; do you want _her_ to get married? Kenny will make her.”

“No,” Eren admitted, and stood there as Levi turned and stalked off, having said not a word about his thoughtless confession.

He ran and hid in the garden, pretty sure his heart was broken. He weeded furiously now, stabbing at the dirt viciously, his eyes blurring as he sniffled. I hate everything, _everything_ , he thought.

“Are you all right?” Eren flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. A well-dressed stranger was peering solicitously down at him, offering him a handkerchief with his other hand. A guest of some sort, and Eren resisted the urge to push him away. He’d made enough horrible mistakes today.

“’M fine.” Eren said, reluctantly taking the handkerchief. All the years spent with Levi meant he wouldn’t dream of wiping his nose on his sleeve. The stranger patted him on the back and what kind of fucking weirdo comforts the servants, Eren wondered. With clearer eyes he regarded the guest curiously; he wasn’t much older than Levi and himself, twenty maybe, and despite his neat, expensive clothes, he had a big bruise on his cheekbone, starting to swell.

“What happened to your face?” Eren asked, curiosity beating out manners.

He reached up and touched his cheek. “I uh, ran into an immovable object,” he said.

“Come on then,” Eren said, getting to his feet. When the stranger didn’t move Eren grabbed his hand and then froze. Fuck. He’d forgotten his place again. Levi had instilled bad habits as well as good, and he felt his chest ache anew.

The stranger squeezed his hand comfortingly and Eren dropped it like it was hot. “Um, this way, sir.” He led him swiftly through the formal gardens to the kitchen garden behind the palace, where they grew the herbs.

He sat quietly on a bench as Eren treated his bruise, his blue eyes fixed on him with a thoughtful expression.

“Can’t have you going to dinner all beat up,” Eren said. “Uh, if you’re staying for dinner.”

“I expect I am,” he said, not looking pleased nor displeased at the prospect. “And many dinners hence.”

“Oh?”

“Mm.” He smiled as Eren stepped back to admire his handiwork. He was quite handsome, despite the injury, Eren supposed a bit reluctantly. “Thank you. This is a very interesting household I’m supposed to be marrying into.” He watched carefully as Eren guessed a great number of expressions chased themselves across his face. “Very interesting indeed.”


	123. Levi/Eren Childhood Friends AU

Levi flicked a pebble at the window above him. Every time he was worried the glass would break–it would be just his luck. Saffy knew he was there, but the Jaeger’s golden retriever saw him as a friend and wouldn’t raise the alarm. He tried again.

The window opened and Levi gazed up to see Eren’s fluffy-headed silhouette against the starry sky. He waved. Eren waved back, and the window rumbled again as he opened it up as wide as it could go. Levi backed up and took a run  the side of the house, bare toes catching on the weatherboard as he reached for the windowsill.

Eren caught him, two hands clasped around his wrist as he hauled him up to the window. Levi got his arm over the sill and the rest of him followed as he wiggled through the window. Eren’s room smelled faintly of dirty socks and dog, and Eren himself. Eren closed the window against the cold and dove back into bed, holding the blanket up invitingly.

This was the best place in the world, Levi thought, finally warming up as he burrowed down into Eren’s bed, their knees knocking together, Eren’s breath warm on his forehead.

“Are you okay?” Eren whispered. Levi nodded.

“He’s not home,” he whispered back. Sometimes he couldn’t sleep because Kenny was home, and sometimes because he wasn’t. Either way, he could sleep here, even with Eren snoring faintly in his face, even with his lumpy knees and grip that gradually grew tighter around Levi’s chest as he fell deeper into sleep.

Even with the ache in his chest, the tangled yearning in his stomach to have Eren all around him, to never leave his bed again. He felt unreasonable and happy and sad all at once and it had taken him hours, as it always did, to wrestle with his conscience before coming over.

Levi heard the footstep before Eren did, and he’d slithered out of Eren’s arms and rolled over the side when the door creaked open.

Eren sat up as Carla poked her head into the room. “Eren?” she asked sofly.

“Hello.” Eren sounded breathless and far from convincingly sleepy.

“What’s going on?” Her voice firmed up a bit, and Levi scowled before sheepishly sitting up so she could see him. “Levi?”

“Uh, we were going to sneak out and get ice cream,” Eren said quickly.

“In this weather? Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?! Does your uncle know you’re out?” she asked Levi.

“He’s not home,” Levi said.

Carla sighed. “You two aren’t going anywhere, you understand?”

“Yes, mom,” Eren said. “So, Levi can stay?”

“Of course he can. Just don’t make any more noise.”

“She’s got ears like a bat,” Eren hissed, as she shut the door again and Levi crawled back into bed.

“She’s cool,” he said.

“I guess,” Eren said, as he flopped down beside him, and Levi closed his eyes.


	124. Levi/Eren Superhero AU

City ordinance states that until a hero has ranked above cadet level they cannot engage any threats above a level two alone. So Eren had absolutely no reason to carry his costume around in his bag everywhere he went, except, if it came down to it, if he could save lives, if he could make a difference, the rules could go fuck themselves.

Which is why he was struggling into his boots in the Starbucks toilet while a huge metal disk hovered over the skies above. Alien invasions were level five at the minimum, but he refused to join the civilians taking refuge. He was a hero, cadet or not, and he pulled his mask down over his face.

He took the elevator. Look, he was perfectly capable of climbing up the side of the building, but it seemed stupid to tire himself out, even if it was extremely awkward standing there while an anemic version of _Yesterday_ played over the speakers. Not every hero could fly, after all.

Out on the roof, the wind buffeted him, tugging at his cape. Maybe the cape was a bad idea. The alien ship looked a lot bigger this close up, he thought. He backed up a bit and ran at the edge, flinging himself across the gap to the next building, seeking an angle to attack the disk.

He could see long needle-like structures starting to extend from the disk. Weapons or something; they’d give him something to grab on to.

“I will knock you on your ass if you even think about it.” Eren looked up to see a pair of wings spread wide in the air above him, hovering in the updraft coming off the side of the building, their owner masked but unmistakably glaring at him nevertheless. A blade gleamed in his hand.

Sparrowhawk. Now was not the time to be starstruck.

A jet streaked by them, and Sparrowhawk had to beat his wings to stay in place as the backdraft buffeted them. “Tch, moneybags.” Of course a level five threat would bring in the big guns, Eren thought. Now was his chance, with Sparrowhawk distracted.

“Just watch me,” he said, and leaped.

Sparrowhawk didn’t watch him. Eren wasn’t sure where he went, as the spaceship started to disgorge dozens of small aircraft, and suddenly he had his hands full. He couldn’t fly; he could only jump from one to the next, the drop below him dizzying as he made his way towards the spaceship, gunfire lighting up the air around him.

Maybe the rules were in place for a reason, he thought as an exploding aircraft knocked him out of the sky. Someone grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him at the mothership, and he caught a glimpse of wings before he crunched into the side.

He punched his way inside, and was still trying to find the control room, find some way of shutting it all off when the ship itself started to disintegrate around him and then he was looking for an exit, tearing apart the metal with his bare hands as whatever powered this thing started to overload and warning lights flashed around him. He heard a strange crackling sound, and then everything went dark.

“Stupid kid.” He was lying on the ground, someone cradling his head gently. He opened his eyes and looked up at Sparrowhawk’s masked face. Sparrowhawk noticed he was awake, and his lips thinned. “Just rest. They’ll fix you up.” Eren tried to lift his head, to see what was wrong, but Sparrowhawk placed a hand on his chest to press him down. “Don’t look,” he said. He sounded pained.

“It’s okay,” Eren said. He grinned. “You know, they said my healing factor’s off the charts.” It was gratifying to see Sparrowhawk’s look of surprise as Eren insisted on sitting up. His legs were bare below the knees. Must have lost them, he thought. He’d need a new costume. He got to his feet, and Sparrowhawk stood as well, and they surveyed the wreckage of the spaceship.

Then Sparrowhawk grabbed his arm, hooked one foot behind his knee, and planted Eren arse-first on the ground. “Ow! What was that for?” He scowled at him, but it faded as he saw the hand extended to help him back up.


	125. Levi/Eren/Erwin Ghost AU

“My phone just lost reception,” Eren said, giving up on trying to get it to connect and shoving it back in his pocket. “Just where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Erwin replied with a smile. “And stop frowning, I don’t plan to give you any time to miss your phone.” His smile grew wicked. “Trust me. We’re nearly here.” He turned off what passed for a road and onto what passed for a driveway, the trees overhanging the cobbled path brushing the top of the car.

Eventually woods opened up, and a wooden structure came into view. It had a steep roof and a stone chimney, wild roses tangled over the front gate, and ivy crept along the walls.

“It’s just like the picture,” Erwin said happily. “Isn’t it lovely?”

Eren didn’t say anything. With the car’s engine off it was very quiet, just birdsong and the wind in the trees. They made their way up the garden path, and the gate squeaked as it closed behind them. It was a pleasant spring day, but Eren shivered as Erwin tried the key he’d been given, and pushed the front door open. A crow alighted on the roof, watching Eren as he stared back at it before following Erwin into the gloom inside.

“Quaint!” Erwin exclaimed, rattling around the house. “Look, a breakfast nook. I think there’s a pond in the back garden, too.”

“At least it’s clean,” Eren muttered. No cobwebs, no dust. They must have sent a cleaning service through ahead of them.

“What’s wrong?” Erwin asked.

“You mean this doesn’t feel like the first twenty minutes of a horror film to you?”

“No? It’s a very nice place. Why would it be a horror film?”

“We’re in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you’re totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Erwin asked.

Eren looked about. “Well, that creepy painting for one.” Said painting was hanging in the living room, next to the fireplace. It depicted a pale gent in dark, old-fashioned clothes who, in Eren’s opinion, was probably a vampire.

“Hm.” Erwin walked up and examined it. “Such piercing eyes. They seem to follow you around the room. Quite a striking fellow, isn’t he?”

“Oh sure, flirt with the vampire painting.”

“Well, my boyfriend doesn’t seem to be in the mood.” The painting definitely seemed to have a smirk Eren wasn’t sure was there a moment ago. Erwin sighed, “Come on, give it a chance? If you hate it we can go back tomorrow.”

“Fair,” Eren said. “Let’s get our bags.”

Things did improve after that. There was wood for the fire and since the nights were still cool they lit it, and with dinner in the oven and the lights glowing softly as the night closed in, Eren supposed this place was sort of cosy.

They shared Eren’s headphones and slow-danced around the living room as they waited for dinner to cook, and Eren supposed it might not be a horror movie after all. Even the painting looked softer, less severe in the firelight, although still eerily alive.

They piled up cushions and blankets and ate in front of the fire, and Eren had every intention of moving away from the gaze of the vampire, but full of good food and a couple glasses of wine he soon forgot about it, because as weird as he was sometimes he had the best boyfriend and the fire lit his eyes up and Eren couldn’t look away. Couldn’t keep his hands off him. The whole point of this place was they had all the privacy they could want, after all, even if Erwin’s suggestion of an entirely clothes-free weekend was probably not going to happen.

Eren was wiggling out of his jeans when Erwin inhaled sharply and dug his fingers almost painfully into Eren’s arm as he gazed over his shoulder. Eren turned in time to see the surface of the painting ripple, and the subject step down out of it.

“The vampire!” Eren yelped and held up his fingers to make a cross, trying to keep his balance with his jeans around his thighs.

“I’m not a vampire!” the creature snapped. “I’m dead. I think.”

“I’m very sorry,” Erwin said faintly, his eyes still wide.

“What do you want with us?” Eren asked, and the apparition’s eyes flicked down to his bare arse and then back up again.

“Nothing. I’m giving you some privacy.” He turned and walked, or possibly floated, towards the font door, his black cloak swirling around him.

Eren glanced at Erwin, feeling oddly guilty about the whole thing. Erwin seemed equally conflicted.

“Wait,” Erwin said. “Um.” The spirit hesitated, glancing over his shoulder with slightly wistful expression. Erwin raised his eyebrows and Eren shrugged; horror movies hadn’t really prepared him for this eventuality. “You could join us.”


	126. Levi/Eren Unspecified

Levi watched Eren lift the rifle and squint down the scope, slivers of sunlight between the cracks in the wooden beams tiger-striping his skin. He breathed. The pain had settled to a throb that kept time with his heart, and he didn’t think he was going to pass out again.

Not just yet anyway.

“Do you see him?” he asked, and Eren lowered the gun.

“Nope.”

Probably too much to hope he was dead. Levi was thirsty but he didn’t feel like he could ask for water. Eren would need it more than him. He drank Eren in instead, watching him recount their remaining bullets, remembering what it was to warm those large, calloused hands between his own, to cut his hair, grown longer and sunbleached, the ends splitting.

Somehow he’d become half of Levi’s life. More.

Eren caught him looking and frowned, and Levi supposed he should try and say something comforting. He was never much good with words. Or lies.

“I guess dying with you isn’t the worst way to go.”

“No.” Eren narrowed his eyes. “But I’d rather live.” He seemed to come to some decision then, taking a deep breath and laying aside the gun. He shuffled over to Levi and started to take things out of the pack. “This is going to hurt,” he said softly.

“Living always does.”


	127. Levi/Eren/Jean Modern AU 2

“Why are you helping me?” Eren asked suspiciously.

“Because I have come up with the best idea, and frankly it’s getting boring making fun of you for being so hopeless.”

“Then stop making fun of me!” Eren scowled. Truth was, Jean just couldn’t help it. Eren’s clearly painful crush on Levi was like a big red button that read ‘Do Not Touch’ and so he pushed it at every opportunity.

“Hear me out?” Jean asked. “This is a peace offering. I mean, both of you could do a lot worse.”

“Yeah, you for a start,” Eren retorted.

Jean pretended to be offended but frankly Eren wouldn’t be half as much fun if he didn’t give as good as he gave. In the end, to Jean’s mild surprise, Eren agreed to the plan.

It involved Eren donning his smallest pair of shorts, and waiting for the sound of Levi coming back to his room. Jean listened carefully at the door and then nodded and took a deep breath.

“Pillow fight!” he yelled and smacked Eren about the head. The idea was make enough noise for Levi to come over and investigate, and find Eren all flushed and nearly-naked and in Jean’s opinion pretty fucking cute. If Eren had any hope at all, that should at least get some sort of reaction.

In theory.

In practice Eren clobbered Jean over the ear with his pillow like he was in a prizefight, and Jean was not going to take that lying down, and soon they were rolling around Eren’s living room practically punching each other through the pillows.

Part of Jean’s careful plan was to leave the front door slightly open, and it worked perfectly. They’d been pummeling each other for about five minutes when Levi stomped in, his face like a thundercloud. He wrenched the abused pillows out of their hands and Jean wasn’t game to resist.

“What the fuck are you idiots doing?” he growled.

“It was Jean’s idea,” Eren said quickly.

“What the-” Jean didn’t have time to be offended because Levi turned on him and _thrashed_ him with both pillows, whipping him with them until he was curled up into a little ball to protect his unexpected and urgent boner. When Levi was done he dropped the pillows and stalked out again.

“That is the hottest thing that has ever happened to me,” Jean said as Levi closed the door behind him.

Eren picked up a pillow and narrowed his eyes. “Oh no you fucking don’t,” he said, but it was far, far too late.


	128. Levi/Eren Canonverse 4

Hange had once told Levi that he shouldn’t be able to function the way he did, that the human body required a certain amount of sleep, and they didn’t think Levi was getting it.

Exhaustion had its uses; it was anesthetic, if nothing else, and he’d gotten used to it. There was something restful about the late hours of the night that he appreciated, but truthfully he wished for decent sleep, just once to be free of nightmares.

And now his wish was granted he fought it with all his might. 

The capital was overflowing with refugees and Levi hadn’t expected a room to himself. The shifter had to be watched, and that was fine. He’d stay up and watch. So he hadn’t been entirely honest when Eren had turned to him with a worried look when they’d found their room and said, “This isn’t right, there’s only one bed.”

Levi hadn’t cared. “It’s only one night, we’ll just share the bed.” He wouldn’t be in it for long.

They crawled in and Eren lay on his back stiff as a board, and awkward and Levi had to wait for him to fall asleep before he could leave, otherwise he’d just worry about him.

Eventually his breathing started to deepen, and Levi thought he’d wait just a bit longer to make certain. Eren rolled over, flinging an arm over Levi and Levi realised he’d almost fallen asleep, just like that. In fact, he felt it tugging at him, inexorable as gravity. He’d never found it so hard to open his eyes, as Eren snuggled closer. It would get harder to extract himself now, Eren had managed to trap one of his feet between his legs.

Move, he told himself, and his body ignored him, warm and comfortable. Eren rubbed his face on Levi’s head and Levi tried to be annoyed, but his thoughts were flying in all directions, randomly jumbling themselves up rather than repeating awful inescapable memories as usual. Eren kept throwing them off.

It wasn’t safe to sleep, he told himself, and for the first time in years, he disbelieved. Peace enveloped him and it sounded like steady breaths over his ear, felt like young, muscled limbs and clean sheets, and smelled like home.


	129. Levi/Eren High School AU 5

The shadows were slanted across the playing field, and the fields of wheat next to the school were practically glowing orange in the late day sun. The skies were bright but thundery, clouds as thick as butter hovering over the horizon, and the air smelled like distant rain.

Eren took a deep breath, finally free for another day. He was too old to be caught fighting like this, but he didn’t regret the bruises, or the hours in detention. Lately he’d been feeling constricted, chaffed by his own privilege, desperate for something more. College didn’t excite him the way it once did; it was just more school and he was so sick of it, and knew he’d go anyway.

Fighting made him feel like an outlaw, even if he knew he’d get further punishment once he got home. He didn’t care if he was grounded, just as long as he got to keep his bike. He raised dust as he hurried over to it, still where he’d left it in the parking lot, only a couple of teachers’ cars keeping it company.

It was just a dirt bike, more dirt than bike sometimes, but he loved it so much, and he had the whole trip home to look forward to, and his heart lightened.

He put on his helmet and was leaving the school gate when he saw a solitary figure trudging towards town, and his heart skipped a beat. With bruised face and abraded knuckles, if he wasn’t cool enough to talk to him today, he never would be, and he coasted to a stop beside the figure.

Levi hadn’t been in detention, and he wondered why he was going home so late, but it wasn’t his business. Levi looked at him warily. He’d never spoken to him much.

“Do you want a ride?” Eren asked, over the sound of the motor ticking over. “I mean, back to town, or wherever.”

Levi looked at him for a few moments. “Wherever sounds good,” he said dryly.

Wait, that was a yes? Apparently it was, because Eren scooted forward a bit to make room and Levi climbed on behind him. The bag on Eren’s back was an uncomfortable lump between them. Eren squirmed as he felt Levi’s hands–his actual hands–on his waist.

“Are you ticklish?” Levi asked, as Eren jumped, his heart in his throat.

“No!” Just can’t believe you’re actually touching me. “Just hold on tight,” he muttered.

“You planning on going that fast?” Levi sounded skeptical, and really Eren had intended to take as much time as possible, but this was a day for doing reckless things.

“Yeah,” Eren said, feeling suddenly confident with Levi’s hands on his hips like they belonged there and weight of the man himself behind him. “I bet I can make you scream my name.” He grinned, dazzled by his own daring, although it faded a bit when he glanced over his shoulder and saw Levi’s expression.

“Idiot,” Levi said. “I don’t have a helmet on. Is this why you ended up in detention?”

“Oh, right. I’ll go carefully then,” he said as he crashed back to earth.

He felt Levi’s fingers flex against his sides as he huffed a sigh. “Maybe on the weekend sometime,” he said.

“Yeah? Okay.” Eren took off at a sedate, steady pace, but nevertheless felt like he was flying. He had something to look forward to at last.


	130. Eren/Armin FFXV AU

“Eren, breakfast’s ready,” Jean said, poking his head into the tent. Eren sighed and sat up in his sleeping bag. In the bag next to him all he could see of Armin was a tuft of fluffy blonde hair. He prodded him. And Armin sighed and stirred.

Time for another day saving the world.

Mikasa was up already, as she always was, and had been training since dawn, her arm muscles gleaming with sweat. “Omurice again?” she asked Jean, who shrugged.

“Get me different ingredients and you’ll get a different breakfast.”

“Good morning, Your Highness,” she said to Eren, who yawned and slumped at the folding table. “You’d have more energy if you trained more,” she reminded him.

The four of them ate breakfast and packed up the camp, returning to the Regalia for another day on the road.

“Hey, Eren?” Armin was fiddling with his camera.

“Hm?”

“I want to take lots of pictures today, who should I take pictures of?” Eren knew why he was asking. At the end of this journey he’d be marrying the Oracle Historia, and he’d have to take on a lot more responsibility. He wanted to remember these carefree days, and Armin knew it, always curled up beside him at camp to show him all the pictures he’d taken during the day.

“Well, um. How about you this time?” Eren suggested.

“Me?” Armin blinked at him. “You want selfies?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Okay,” Armin smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

They took on some contracts and went hunting, the bounties paying for fuel and supplies and that night they decided to camp out again, finding a good spot by the beach. Eren went to do some fishing, now he had a few hours to spare.

He returned by starlight, their fire casting a cosy glow across the tents and the folding chairs. Mikasa had accompanied him as his personal guard but now he was safely back at camp she settled into a chair and checked the messages on her phone.

Eren crawled into his tent to change his clothes before dinner, and he heard Jean and Armin talking as Jean cooked.

“What are you trying to do?” Jean asked.

“He wanted selfies.” Armin sounded slightly desperate.

“You’ve had plenty of practice taking those. Why are you pulling those faces?”

“I want, uh. I want that look, you know? Like, ‘I want you and I know you want me too,’ kind of look.”

Eren froze, one leg in his pants, his ears burning.

“Good luck,” Jean said dubiously. “He’s not going to notice even if you pull it off.”

Eren finished getting dressed, and was quiet over dinner, watching Armin eat one-handed handed and sigh at his phone. Afterwards, they dragged their chairs together for the nightly ritual.

“I didn’t really know what you wanted,” Armin confessed, looking away. “I hope these are okay.”

“I wanted you smiling,” Eren said.

“Oh. Okay. Well, I could take one now.”

“How about both of us?” Eren suggested, and Armin leaned in, holding out his camera, and Eren wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Armin beamed.


	131. Levi/Eren Vampire & Werewolf AU

“Here they come,” Erwin said, as a dozen overlapping howls filled the air.

“Shall I go?” Levi asked.

“Wait.”

Levi waited, listening as the first of the combatants met among the trees. He wondered if Erwin could recognise one howl from another. They’d all sounded alike to him at first, but now…

Teeth met teeth and claws met claws, and Levi watched Erwin silently, waiting to be unleashed. There was a crack of splintering wood, and a creaking sound as a pine crashed onto its side, somewhere in the forest.

“There he is,” Erwin said, with satisfaction. “I’ll leave him to you.”

Levi spread his hands, fingers elongating into talons, his lips pulling back as his fangs extended from his jaw, and then he hurled himself apart, disappearing into a black mist. He flung himself through the forest, trees appearing and disappearing from his field of vision, ignoring all other sounds of battle, following that one howl.

Eren was standing on the fallen tree, fur shining silver in the moonlight, his jaws gaping as he fended off two other soldiers, but as soon as Levi arrived he dropped into a defensive crouch, growling. Levi wondered how he knew he was there.

_Retreat,_ he ordered, and the other two melted away into the forest to reinforce their comrades elsewhere.

Eren’s eyes shone green, as he waited for Levi to attack, his tail swishing. Levi coalesced behind him, claws extended, and the battle began. Eren roared and snarled horribly, leaving broken branches in his wake as they pursued each other through the moonlit forest, and Levi wondered how they’d hoped to tame him in the first place.

Nevertheless, he was supposed to take him alive. Levi snapped a branch off and kept going, retreating, goading, leading Eren in a circle, his eyes glowing red. He waited a fraction of a second, as if listening to another part of the battle, and Eren took the bait.

He leaped, and Levi only had to stand aside as the jagged spear of pine slid into the wolf’s midsection, skewering him. Eren coughed, blood welling from the wound, his clawed paws scrabbling at the wood as he thrashed.

“It will hurt more if you do that.” The wood protruded another foot from his back; he wouldn’t be able to pull himself off. Levi landed on the branch, claws retreating, his humanity returning to his features as Eren snarled and snapped, his jaws frothing, his eyes rolling in pain. “You hate us that much?”

Eren stilled then, and grew eerily quiet, his eyes fixed on Levi. Levi knelt down to look into his eyes. “Nno,” Eren said, words forced out through wolfish teeth. Was he turning back? Or trying to? He’d have no hope with the moon so full above him. He lowered his head and Levi could feel the warm breath from his muzzle washing across his face.

“I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. That’s the problem.” He spoke carefully, like he’d picked the words out of his teeth. Levi didn’t need to breathe, so he didn’t, instead he slowly extended a pale hand and placed it on Eren’s head, between his pointed ears. Eren closed his eyes, and sighed as Levi gently scratched his head.

“Then why?” Levi asked. “Why are you here?”

Eren lifted his head, but not to bite, his eyes opening. “I need to warn you,” he said. “Please, listen to me. There’s not much time.”

“I will,” Levi promised, and had to refrain from smiling as, despite everything, Eren’s tail wagged.


	132. Levi/Eren/Erwin Sharing a Bed Coworkers AU

Eren honestly genuinely looked forward to the annual company conference. It was like a working holiday; he got to catch up with people he hardly saw the rest of the time, and get away from the office for a few days. Also, he had to admit, it was nice to take a short break from Isabel. He loved his daughter but being a single father was tough.

Some people looked forward to spring break; he had Titan Inc General Conference. The hotel lobby was crowded as everyone queued up for their room assignments. Eren had made some great friends with past roommates, and Pixis made a point of mixing everyone up, within reason. The rumour was even the Director himself shared a room, but Eren had never found anyone who could confirm it one way or another.

“Room three-oh-six!” someone yelled impatiently, and Eren realised that was him and made his way over to the short guy holding some room keys to introduce himself. Everyone was tired from travelling, and Eren couldn’t really blame him for wanting to get this over with and get some rest before whatever Pixis has planned for tomorrow.

The kid in the suit got there first. He even had a tie on; hardly anyone else did. “Erwin Smith, marketing strategy,” he said, holding out his hand. Well, that explained it, Eren thought.

“Levi, maintenance manager.”

“Eren, HR,” Eren said, watching his roommates eye each other off. Am I babysitting this year, he wondered.

“You’re quite young for management,” Erwin said to Levi.

“I’m quite good at it,” Levi retorted.

Eren sighed. His department literally had more nonbinary people in it than men, and he hadn’t missed the posturing.

“What’s your role in HR?” Erwin asked, turning to him.

Eren waited a beat. “I’m the director,” he said. He held out his hand and Levi dropped a key into it. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

They found their room and Eren and Levi hung their coats in the closet while Erwin prowled around opening and closing doors. 

“Um,” he said. “There’s only one bed.”

“What the fuck?” Levi asked, and Eren followed him into the room and the three of them stared at the bed.

“I’ll sort this,” Erwin said, reaching for the phone. Eren sighed, and dropped into a chair as Erwin called down to the desk.

“Of course there’s no room,” Erwin muttered. “There’s a conference on. They say they can arrange for a room at another hotel,” he told them. “Twenty minutes across town, although I guess only two of us have to go.” He glanced at Levi; as the senior person, of course they’d let Eren have it.

Eren shook his head. “You can leave it until tomorrow if you want. It’s only one night, we can just share the bed.” Realistically, he was just being nice about it. Of course they wouldn’t want to do that.

“Fine,” Levi said. “I just want to sleep.”

Erwin nodded as well, and Eren blinked in surprise. Well, he’d have a good story to tell Isabel when he got home. Speaking of which. He took out his phone and called home, vaguely aware of Erwin and Levi getting ready for bed in the background, taking turns in the bathroom as he started taking off his shoes one-handed and unbuttoning his shirt with the phone pressed to his shoulder.

“Hey sweetie.” It was late and he didn’t want to keep her too long, although he suspected she stayed up late when he wasn’t there. When he glanced in the mirror he saw the other two exchanging odd smiles behind his back.

After he’d hung up he explained his daughter was old enough to spend a few days by herself, but he always liked to call home and check she was okay.

He took his turn in the bathroom, and when he returned, ready for bed, Levi was watching Erwin with his arms folded. “You’re not straight, are you? Straight guys would make this weird.”

“Get in,” Eren said irritably. Honestly, kids. Erwin and Levi exchanged a glance and Levi waved Eren towards the bed instead.

“Just as sec,” he said as Eren crawled in next to Erwin.

“It’s going to be hot with three people,” Levi said, his eyes on Eren as he deliberately peeled off his tshirt like he’d been paid to do it. Christ, maybe he moonlighted as a stripper; he had the body for it. Now Eren wasn’t exactly adverse to getting laid during the conference; it was like spring break in a more ways than one, but he wasn’t the only audience here.

Erwin was looking thoughtful as Levi slithered into bed on Eren’s other side, looking smug.

“We can fix that,” he said. “I’ll just turn the heat down.” It didn’t encourage Levi to put his shirt back on, but as an icy chill washed through the room the younger men pressed in closer, and Eren suspected this was his plan all along.

Tired and flattered, because it was unreasonable to expect he wouldn’t be under these circumstances, Eren didn’t say anything, just let them cuddle up, and if they wanted to discuss it more thoroughly tomorrow morning, maybe turn down offer of that room across town, he wouldn’t necessarily say no.


	133. Levi/Eren Vampire AU

Eren watched the sun go down, and told himself he wasn’t enchanted. Probably. This was how they get you, he’d been told. They make you pine, they mesmerise you.

They drink you dry and you thank them for it even as you become a husk of your former self. Yeah. He’d read all the pamphlets, and none of it seemed right. He couldn’t do this any more; he was becoming a husk of himself anyway, so he might as well go.

As soon as he’d made the decision he hurried to shower, get changed, brush his hair. There was no rush. After Dark stayed open most of the night. Eren didn’t like thinking about what happened after it closed.

It was still rush hour, and the streets were crowded when he entered the tea shop for the first time in weeks. Just the smell of it brought a smile to his face, even as his heart thudded uncomfortably in his chest. There were lots of humans here this early, and he queued up.

Levi did not look pale and interesting, he looked pale and tired. He didn’t wear a velvet suit or a long cloak, he wore an apron and his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, and when he saw Eren standing in line he smiled, and it wasn’t a predatory grin. It was relief. Eren felt awful.

Eren ordered a pot of tea, and reclaimed his usual seat by the window. He’d wait for the rush, and watch Levi work in the meantime, trying to work out if he was enchanted or if he just liked tea or if he just. Liked. Levi.

The rush dwindled. Humans went home for dinner. The others would trickle in later, after work, after feeding, after dancing, after whatever it was they did.

“Haven’t seen you for a while,” Levi said, and Eren smiled and pushed the other chair out a little in invitation. “Been busy? Well, I hope.”

“Yeah, I’m well.” Couldn’t he tell? “I just.” Eren wrapped his fingers around the teacup, warm as he knew Levi’s fingers were cold. Levi had missed him. Of course he had. “I tried, but I just can’t stay away from you anymore. Did you enchant me?”

Levi recoiled, frowning. “You know I don’t do that shit.” He ran his hand through his hair, and Eren realised he’d offended him.

“I’m sorry.”

“How do you feel?” Levi asked.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Uh, miserable? Like I’ve fucked up?”

“There you are, not enchanted,” he smiled faintly. “If you were you’d be floating on cloud nine just because I’m talking to you.”

“Oh,” Eren sighed with relief. Not enchanted. That meant he just, uh, just fucking _confessed_ , and Levi could probably hear the blood rushing to his face.

The bell rang over the door and Levi got to his feet to get back to work. “You’re cute, Eren. I’ll see you later.”

“Now I’m totally enchanted,” Eren said, grinning at him, and he knew Levi’s disapproving frown was feigned. 

He couldn’t stay up until After Dark closed without wrecking his sleep schedule, but Levi let him in past the counter, and he curled up on the couch in his living area and napped until cold fingers against his cheek woke him up.

“You need to go home. Do you want me to walk you?” Dawn was a couple of hours off. Maybe he’d messed up his sleep schedule anyway. Eren sighed, thinking about other mornings like this, the quiet walk home, the sense of disappointment when Levi bid him farewell with a nod.

He sat up, rubbing at his eyes, and Levi sat beside him, so his earlier faux pas was clearly forgiven. Levi still looked tired. He’d never met a vampire so, so human, and Eren opened his mouth before he could think about the words.

“What’s it like being bitten? I want to try it.”

Levi opened his mouth, and shut it, and Eren realised he’d flustered a vampire. Amazing. “It’s like sex,” Levi muttered, looking away. “That’s why you don’t just ask for it out of nowhere like that.”

“What am I supposed to do then?” Eren asked, leaning forward, delightedly pushing his luck. “Cause now I _really_ want to try it.”


	134. (nsfw) Levi/Eren Unspecified Smut

Levi knew Eren had a thing for his muscles. Eren was no slouch himself, but whenever Levi took his shirt off Eren seemed utterly unable to look away. It was sort of adorable.

Levi wasn’t really used to being lusted after quite so blatantly, but slowly, gradually he was getting more comfortable with it. Eren seemed bound and determined to make him. And frankly, he’d do anything for Eren. Anything he wanted, any part of Levi, he could have.

Sometimes he wondered if Eren wasn’t unfairly taking advantage, however. It had started innocently enough–okay not innocently, because Eren had greeted him with that wolfish smile and his hands snaking into Levi’s jacket and toothy kisses all along his jawline. Not innocently then, pleasantly. 

And Eren had left their clothes scattered around the room, and wrapped his arms around Levi’s shoulders, nuzzled his neck and said those fateful words, “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”

Which his how he came to be planking naked on Eren’s floor, Eren’s arms and legs wrapped lovingly around his shoulders and hips as Eren hung underneath him, gasping happily as he frotted himself up against Levi’s stomach.

It was agonising. Every muscle from his toes to his wrists was starting to burn, and he could feel sweat trickling down his spine, as Eren bit and sucked at the tendons in his neck. He could stop this. He could flop down on Eren and pin him and punish him for being so demanding, but he didn’t. Eren was so delighted by him, so hard and eager, his cock slippery and hot against Levi’s abs.

Eren was so heavy, too. Levi’s arms were trembling, just slightly, his breath pushed effortfully from between his lips. Eren’s hips were moving faster now, and he was making happy little keening sounds in Levi’s ear.

Levi couldn’t come. He knew if he did he’d collapse, so despite Eren’s hip sliding over his cock, the point digging in just below the head, he fought it off. This was torture.

“I’m…dying,” he gritted out, as the tremble in his arms began to grow more pronounced. He was reaching the end of his reserves.

“Oh _fuck,_ me too,” Eren gasped, shuddering, his legs squeezing Levi’s hips as he came all over his stomach. Levi didn’t wait for him to release his grip, simply collapsed on him, breathing harder than Eren was, his arms aching.

“Not that kind of dying,” he wheezed as Eren gently stroked his back, his lips pressed against the side of Levi’s head. “You’re gonna fucking kill me. Just bury me in the garden,” Levi said, resisting Eren’s attempts to roll him off. He didn’t want to move.

“How about you bury yourself in my arse instead?” Eren offered, and Levi lifted his head to look at him.

“You are going to do all the work,” he said. “I’ve earned a break.” He told himself he wouldn’t be talked into any more of these ridiculous sex gymnastics, but he knew he was lying. At least he could skip working out today.


	135. Levi/Erwin Canonverse AU

Levi is shaving when Erwin thinks of it, the basin below him full of buzzed off hair. It was the sound of the clippers that had drawn Erwin to the bathroom in the first place, the morning sun diffuse through the pebbled glass on the window. The haircut is old. It dates Levi more than the crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes and the grey hairs he’s carefully razoring off his chin.

Levi catches Erwin watching in the reflection of mirror and frowns and Erwin doesn’t say anything, leaves him to it.

He thinks of it again when he looks up from his desk to see Levi attacking the cobwebs under the eaves of their house, a mask over his face, standing on the third step of the stepladder. Erwin knows better than to offer to help, and instead he watches the way his shirt catches on his shoulders and biceps as he sweeps above him.

It’s still on his mind over lunch, and through their afternoon walk, the clouds opening up when they were still minutes from home. They squabbled over whether or not it was worth while running the rest of the way, and then they ran anyway.

Levi’s ankle hurts afterwards and Erwin makes him soak his feet and he knows Levi feels old. Erwin doesn’t mind feeling old; it feels like a victory. Levi is not so sanguine.

Levi spends the evening squinting at him. Erwin wonders if he needs glasses.

Finally, Levi puts down his mug of tea and asks him. “What are you thinking about?” He doesn’t mean it in a vague way, he’s not asking for attention or concerned Erwin might be upset about something; he’s too straightforward for that. He means what he asks. Always.

Erwin knows he’s going to regret saying anything, but he’s got no right to refuse a question any more. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” he says.

“I don’t,” Levi says, and sips his tea.

“Then I wouldn’t have to try to explain, and have you refuse to believe me.” He’s irritated, because it’s irritating, but to his surprise Levi doesn’t put any walls up, just looks at him calmly.

“I believe you,” he says. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I just question your judgement.”

Erwin smiles. “That’s fair enough, I suppose.”

“I appreciate it,” Levi says finally, a bit grudgingly, and Erwin’s smile broadens into a grin.


	136. Levi/Eren Dilf Eren AU 4

“Definitely hardware issues,” Isabel said, as she peered over Levi’s shoulder at his ailing computer. It wouldn’t even boot properly, instead emitting a sad series of sounds that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Star Wars set.

“Okay,” Levi said. “If I go to the library and hide out overnight I can rewrite my paper-”

“Just get it fixed!”

“Last time I sent this shitheap away it took four weeks to get it back,” Levi grumbled.

“My dad can fix it in an hour to two,” Isabel said confidently. “I guarantee.”

Levi paused. He didn’t know much about Isabel’s father except that he was a ‘huge nerd’ and worked in IT. “Why would he fix my computer?”

“I’d tell you it’s because of the goodness of his heart but frankly, he loves this stuff. He’ll be spending his weekend messing about in a machine anyway, so it may as well be yours. Just-” she paused. “Just don’t hang around while he’s working on it.” Isabel had a weird, pained expression on her face, but when Levi pressed her she didn’t explain.

Still, it was worth a try, which is why he found himself in an unfamiliar part of town ringing an unfamiliar doorbell with his shoulder, his computer cradled in his arms. Isabel had texted her father and Eren had agreed to help as predicted.

The door opened and Levi was struck by two things. One; Eren Yeager was younger than he’d expected, and two, Isabel was completely right to characterise him as a huge nerd. He had brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, an extremely ratty Linux t-shirt and a pair of desperately unfashionable shorts with too many pockets completed the picture.

“Levi, right? Isabel’s mentioned you before.” He met Levi’s eyes briefly, but directed most of his attention to the computer in his arms.

“Hi. Um, it’s-”

“Hardware issues. Isabel told me. They’re my favourite.” Eren flashed him a real smile and Levi was momentarily struck by how well it suited him. “Well, let’s get started.” He lifted the computer out of Levi’s arms, and carried it further into the house, Levi trailing uncertainly behind.

“Can I watch?” he asked, despite Isabel’s warning. He was curious.

“If you like,” Eren said cheerfully. “Help yourself from the kitchen.”

Levi made himself a mug of tea and made his way into what was clearly an electronics lab, half-finished electronic projects and racks full of components lining the walls. His computer was, he noted distantly, already in pieces on the main table, but most of his attention was taken up by Eren’s bare arse as he bent over the table, the overhead light shining on the dips and hollows of his muscled back.

Levi nearly dropped his tea as he gaped like a fish for a few moments.

“Why are you naked?” he blurted out.

Eren turned slightly, and then returned to work. “Didn’t Isabel tell you? Static from your clothes can damage the components. Also, it gets pretty hot in here.”

Levi did think it was quite warm.

“You don’t have to hang around, if you’d rather not.”

“I’ll stay,” Levi said making a beeline for an old couch pushed off into the corner. He set his tea down on an upturned milk crate next to a stack of electronics magazines and instantly forgot about it. Eren had abs. Nerd or not, he used a gym, clearly.

Levi crossed his legs, changed his mind halfway through which way he wanted to cross them, and felt like an indecisive cricket as he squirmed on the couch. Luckily, Eren seemed engrossed in his computer and didn’t notice.

“How old is this hard drive?” Eren muttered.

“Legal,” Levi said, his mouth engaging long before his brain had noticed. “I’m nearly twent- oh the dick. I mean, disk.” Maybe if he wished hard enough he’d have a heart attack and die on the spot. “I don’t know.” He wasn’t sure he could remember his own address at this point.

Eren peered at him over his glasses and oh, Levi had hardware issues now.

“Are you all right? You look a bit warm.”

Was that an opening? Levi had no idea. He wanted to be smooth more than he ever had in his life before. Maybe make a little joke about paying him back for the work on his computer, seem confident and grown up. Maybe he should mention his grades? Eren liked intelligence, probably maybe. Why hadn’t he worn tighter jeans? Say something! Eren was still waiting for a response and looking mildly worried and Levi had visions of him walking over and putting his hand on his forehead to see if he was sick.

“Can I touch you?” It wasn’t Eren saying that, it was his own traitorous mouth.

Eren looked at him for a long moment, and Levi held his breath.

“One thing at a time,” Eren said eventually, and went back to work, although he might have been smiling a little.

Isabel asked Levi later if she’d been right. “Was it a hardware problem?”

“The hardware was great,” Levi said dreamily, while his best friend regarded him with suspicion.


	137. Levi/Eren Canonverse 5

Levi was the backup plan, the ace up their sleeve, and Eren knew it would be better if he didn’t have to appear, didn’t have to turn the tide of battle the way he so often did. It would mean things had gone wrong, again, it would mean more danger, although he’d grown so used to it he thought he was numb to it. Numb until he saw someone he cared in harms way, yet again.

And yet. And yet. He wanted to see. Selfishly. He’d waited for so long already.

The day ended, like these days always ended, with the feeling that the world had been shaken, once again. But we live still, Eren thought, to shake the world further.

Eren went looking for him, once he’d debriefed and greeted his friends. He climbed roofside and waited, not for long, to hear the soft whirr of the mechanism, the scrape of boots on tile. He was tired- no, he _had_ been tired, but now he felt his heart swelling, his pulse rising. They’d been apart too long.

He was long used to looking at the world through his hair, but he swept it back from his face as he turned to the sound, his mouth suddenly dry, like he was fifteen again, and his hero was before him.

He had his own set, somewhere, he’d been part of the planning committee, but he hadn’t had a chance to see Levi in the new gear. He almost disappeared in the dark, just the gleam of metal and leather until he stepped out of the shadow and Eren swallowed hard. Levi didn’t have any sense of himself in some ways, he didn’t know what that prowl did to Eren, the way his hips canted as he kept his balance on the sloping roof, how good he looked in black, the way the leather belts wrapped across his stomach and around his thighs. The way the armour broadened his already ridiculously broad shoulders. He looked so powerful.

Eren could see Levi was puzzled by the reaction, the strangled noise Eren made as gazed up at him. He dropped down off the roof to the parapet, and practically into Eren’s arms. Practically and then actually as Eren stepped up to him, his hands drifting across the metal struts across his shoulder, the armour-oh, he’d wrap Levi in half-inch steel if he could, but this was something, the metal that protected his heart. He wasn’t sure where to touch him. Too much in the way.

“Eren?” Levi looked up at him.

“Okay, this is new.” Eren said, still fascinated. The belts invited stroking, or hooking fingertips over the edge and pulling- He wasn’t sure if he wanted Levi to keep it on or take it off, although the point was moot right now. “You look good.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling well,” Levi said dryly, but the was relief in his eyes, and smile on his lips.

“The better for seeing you,” Eren said. “As always.”

And as always Levi didn’t seem to know what to say, but he had at least developed another strategy, and Eren bent obediently as he was pulled down for a long-awaited kiss.


	138. (slightly nsfw) Levi/Eren Unspecified 2

Levi hadn’t really had much opinion on anyone’s hair in his life, other than if it was clean or not, but when Eren started growing his out, he found he liked it quite a lot. It gave him something to hang on to sometimes–Eren liked that. Other times he rubbed a few strands between finger and thumb, or carded his fingers through it.

It had it’s downsides. He’d woken up more than once with it in his mouth, which was disgusting, and it got tangled easily. And although he didn’t realise it until he saw Eren with his hair up in a bun one day as he poured over some maps, it hid Eren’s neck.

 He glanced about, listened to make sure they were alone, and found himself drawing closer, as if magnetized. Eren’s tan had faded on his neck; his hair sheltering the smooth skin from the sun. His head was bent forward at just the right angle that Levi could see the knob of bone at the top of his spine, the slope of muscle at the base of his neck so much more defined than it used to be. 

Almost unconsciously he bared his teeth a little. Eren knew he was there; he wasn’t sneaking up, and Eren seemed to sense his presence anyway, but engrossed in the map, Eren didn’t do more than shift slightly to acknowledge his presence.

He’d fix that. He stepped up behind him, placing a hand on Eren’s back to let him know he was there, and then he leaned over and sank his teeth into the soft, smooth skin of Eren’s neck, not quite hard enough to break the skin.

The effect was immediate. Eren inhaled sharply and his entire body seemed to twitch. He tilted his head to the side, to expose his neck further, exhaling audibly, not quite moaning as he swayed into Levi’s body like a cat seeking contact.

“Not fair,” he gasped, in a tone that told Levi everything he needed to know.  Nevertheless, he slid his free hand over Eren’s hip to check, running a finger along the bulging line of his fly.

“Already?” he breathed against Eren’s neck. “Do I really have that much of an effect on you?”

“Of course you do.” Eren shivered. “I love you so much.”

Levi pulled away abruptly to hide his face behind his hand, the blood heading north and making his scalp prickle. “Ngh.” How was he supposed to respond to that? He could hear Eren laughing gently at him as he tugged his hand away from his face.

“I know your weak points too,” Eren pointed out, pulling him into a hug. “It wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

Levi still didn’t know what to say, fighting the wildfire in his chest, but he didn’t resist as Eren took his hand and started leading him upstairs.


	139. Levi/Eren Pirate AU

The ring of steel on steel, the smell of gunpowder and salt, the cries of victory or pain of the combatants, this was the backdrop of Levi’s storied career, and certainly what one might expect from the most accomplished of Her Majesty’s Naval Commanders.

Nevertheless, he felt a certain de ja vu.

Mainly because he was once again crossing swords with Eren Yeager, who for a wanted pirate was surprisingly easy to find. The fighting below seemed rather half-hearted to him as well, his crew (and apparently Eren’s) were starting to regard their duels as a kind of spectator sport. Which was incredibly frustrating, almost as maddening as the man himself, dancing away from Levi’s blade, swinging among the ropes like he’d been born with wings.

“We need to stop doing this,” Eren said, swinging his head to get his hair out of his eyes.

“Feel free to surrender at any time,” Levi replied. His duty was clear, although he wasn’t sure how he’d feel about seeing the pirate hang.

“I’d rather you surrendered.” Eren darted in close and Levi raised his blade to block, pushing back against Eren’s sword with his own, steel grinding on steel. Eren gazed into his eyes, his face entirely too close to Levi’s own. “Aren’t you tired of dancing around like this?”

“What?”

“What if we both surrendered?” Eren breathed, his gaze dropping slightly, a tooth scraping across his windbitten lower lip. “Men can marry on pirate ships, you know. The only laws we obey are our own.”

Levi’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Actually, I think I just proposed,” Eren said with a wild, beautiful grin, and taking advantage of Levi’s shock he disengaged, spinning around and kicking him in the stomach, sending him plummeting from the rigging. Levi twisted in mid-air, driving his blade through the sail, the canvas arresting his fall as his crew ran to back him up.

“I await your answer!” Eren yelled, signalling for his crew to retreat, taking his hat off and bowing before swinging back to his own ship. Levi stared after him, barely hearing his own crew asking for orders as the pirate ship pulled away.


	140. Levi/Eren College AU 3

“We’re going to freeze our nuts off.”

“I’ll give a hot water bottle to sit on,” Hange said. “Please, Levi. Health and safety says I need at least two-”

“Yeah, yeah I get. Who’s the other poor fucker you’ve roped into this wild goose chase?”

The other poor fucker turned out to be a college student named Eren who looked, to Levi’s suspicious gaze, relatively normal. Then again, Armin had looked normal too, until he’d opened his mouth and pure unadulterated _mad science_ had started pouring out of it. Levi had gone home with his head aching from trying to understand it.

Eren was much quieter, although Levi kept catching him looking at him.

They drove out to Hange’s chosen location and helped them set up their equipment. In return Hange had supplied blankets and cushions and even Levi couldn’t complain as he settled in in the back of the van to stare out at the desert and the endless stars while he waited for Hange to finish wasting time and they could go home again.

To his surprise, Eren joined him, rather than standing with Hange looking at the instruments. They sat in awkward silence for a while.

“Do you believe in aliens?” Eren asked eventually.

“I believe in slime mould,” Levi said. “There’s probably goo on some rock out there that counts as life. Actual aliens though? Nah. People act like intelligence is the endgame, but we’ve had civilization for what? A few thousand years? A blink of the eye compared to the dinosaurs and frankly, I doubt humanity’s gonna last anywhere near as long. What does that tell you?”

“It’s better to be big than smart?” Eren suggested. He was eyeing Levi warily, like it was some sort of trap.

“Hey, I’m big where it counts,” Levi said and Eren burst into surprised laughter that sounded startlingly loud in the desert night. “What about you?”

“I’d say I’m average I guess?” Eren tugged on his hair awkwardly.

“I mean aliens.”

“Oh that! It’d be cool, but humans are plenty weird enough for me.”

“So why are you out here then?”

“Umm.” Eren squirmed. “I think I see a shooting star.”

“Eren?” He was suspicious now and he leaned towards him, although it was hard to be intimidating when you’re both wrapped in the same blanket. “Why are you here?”

“Umm.” He sounded more desperate now. “I’m on a blind date!” he confessed, when Levi was nearly nose to nose with him.

“Hange!” Levi yelled, and he could hear them cackling out by their glowing screens.

“Oh, bite me!” they called back. “You think he’s adorable.”

Eren looked so hopeful Levi’s vehement denial curdled in his throat. “Maybe,” he muttered, although he didn’t move when shuffled a bit closer.


	141. Levi/Eren Canonverse 6

For Levi stories usually ended with funerals, not weddings. Nevertheless, in defiance of everything, people did keep getting married. He’d made a mess of getting the words out, but he’d offered to give Mikasa away, and had been entirely relieved when she’d said she’d already asked Eren to do it.

Eren. What did he think? His hair going grey even though he was not yet thirty. A few more years and he’d look older than Levi himself. He’d smiled and sang the songs and gave hearty cheers when asked to. And now he drifted at the edge of the firelight, watching the happy couple dance.

“Are you jealous?” Levi asked and Eren startled. He’d wandered close to where Levi watched motionless, and hadn’t realised he was there.

“She would have married me if I’d asked her,” Eren said calmly. “She deserved better.”

“Eren-” Levi was about to argue, but he found he couldn’t argue with Eren any longer. There was too much tired understanding in his gaze.

“I appreciate the thought, Levi.” The corners of his mouth turned up.

“It’s like we barely need to speak anymore,” Levi muttered.

“Maybe we’re the ones who should get married then,” Eren said it lightly. “For what it’s worth.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I _want_ -” Eren broke off. “I don’t know.” He looked out at the wedding. “I can’t have that, I know.”

“Have this,” Levi said, holding out his hand. Eren reached out, his curiosity burning away his gloom. He brushed his fingers against Levi’s closed fist and he opened it, his hand empty, and clasped Eren’s.

“It’s not like you to make jokes,” Eren said, but he didn’t let go.

“It’s not a joke; it’s all I have,” Levi said. “Come on,” he pulled Eren closer. “Their dance is over, the rest of us get a turn now, right?”


	142. Levi/Eren Canonverse 7

It wasn’t much, really. A brief embrace made strange with unfamiliar machinery, a brief kiss like young wine, harsh and burning, and then they had things to do, and none of them were what Eren wanted. He felt wired up, beyond tired.

Of course there was a counter-attack, and Levi spirited him away, or tried to, as he was vulnerable now. A city was a fragile thing beneath a titan’s feet, and even if he had it in him to transform it was too dangerous.

So they huddled on the rooftops, catching glimpses of odd, moving shadows.

“They know we’re up here somewhere,” Levi breathed into Eren’s ear. He had one of his guns drawn, his finger off the trigger. “If I spot them, I’ll plug them.” He glanced up at the moonless sky. “Or hear them. Not much chance of seeing them. The first one to make a noise loses.”

Eren understood, and he crouched carefully next to a chimney, making sure his boots made no sound on the tiles, moving carefully. Now there was nothing to do but wait, wait and as his eyes adjusted to the low light, stare at Levi. From this angle he could see the way the struts ran down his arms, the gear on his back.

Not much else though. Too dark.

Eren realised he was bored. It was a strange sensation after so long spent in such tense circumstances, but he couldn’t embrace it. He needed to stay awake lest he make noise.

“This is boring,” he whispered. The wind would shred his words before they travelled far.

Levi nodded, still staring out at the dark. Were their pursuers really hunched motionless for hours or had they moved on? Eren edged forward to try and get a better look, his knee knocking against Levi’s thigh. He knew better than to suggest they move and head back down off the rooftops; Levi had decided they were here for the night, and despite everything else that had changed over the years, Eren would not dispute his right to lead in situations like this.

Besides, it was kind of nice, just the two of them again. Even if they couldn’t speak.

Eren rested his hand on the small of Levi’s back, and leaned in to his shoulder, breathing him in again because he couldn’t get enough.

“You know,” he breathed. “If you’re bored we could have sex.” He even wiggled his eyebrows although he was sure Levi couldn’t see it.

That got his attention, Levi’s head turning sharply as he stared at him. Eren grinned, and he saw the gleam of teeth as Levi gave him a rare smile in return–why did it have to be so dark?

“Oh, I missed you.” The words floated across the darkness between them, and Eren felt less like sex than like crying, but both would have to wait.


	143. Jean/Eren Canonverse 2

Jean should have seen this coming. Ymir and Historia had clumped together as if magnetized almost instantly, and there were more boys than girls to start with. But he didn’t realise quite how bad things were until he saw Armin smiling apologetically at Eren, Mikasa at his side. The little bugger was sneaky as well.

At least Eren looked just as unhappy about it as Jean felt.

“Okay enough. You and you and you and you. We haven’t got all day. I want to waste as little time as possible on this rubbish; the vast majority of you will not need to know how to dance, but since there’s an outside chance some of you will make it to the Military Police we’re expected to teach you the basics.”

Shadis walked among them literally shoving them at each other, which is how Jean ended up with Eren stumbling into his chest.

“Ugh.” Eren scowled.

“Yeah, ugh,” Jean replied. But he needed to learn this stuff, even if Eren didn’t, and so he put a hand on Eren’s waist because he didn’t intend to dance with boys and he needed to learn to lead. Eren didn’t care so he could put up with the girl’s role.

“Stop that.” Eren squirmed away from his hand. Jean yanked on his arm, determined to pull him into position boy force if need be.

“Just stay still,” Jean hissed.

To his credit, Eren stilled although he still looked mutinous. He was tense in Jean’s arms, and Jean could see him physically restraining himself from pulling away. Was he that gross? _Really?_

Shadis got out a squeezebox, of all things, and proved to be relatively adept at playing it as he started them all moving. Of course, he shouted at them as well, which didn’t do anything for anyone’s ability to keep time, and the cadets shuffled around, stepping on feet and getting in each other’s way.

Eren’s lips were pressed together and his eyebrows furrowed, as he breathed sharply through his nose as they stomped around. What was his problem?

Jean realised what his problem was when they stepped out and back and Jean’s hand ghosted across Eren’s hip. He actually _squirmed_ and something like a squeak passed his lips.

A grin spread across Jean’s face. He couldn’t help it. “Oh, are you ticklish?”

“Shut up!” Eren fumed, his face going red under his tan and now it was Jean trying not to laugh. Oh this was good. This was worth it. While Eren got angrier, he got more delighted. Part of him knew it was a bad idea to antagonize him like this, but he just couldn’t help it. Eren was too easy and too much fun to tease.

The dismal dancing lesson was finally, thankfully drawing to a close. Jean couldn’t help himself; one last shot.

“You’re cute when you’re angry.”

That was it. He could see the moment when Eren snapped, and his hands occupied he didn’t have a hope of defending himself. Seconds later he was on his back in the dust, Eren hovering over him, teeth bared, pinning his hands above his head.

Shadis was yelling but there was a kind of weariness to it. Even the other cadets didn’t find their scuffles all that interesting any more.

“Take it back!” Eren grated out, and this wasn’t worth it, not really. He hated dust in his hair and frankly it wouldn’t help anything. He knew he’d been the arsehole this time.

And yet. He couldn’t quite. It wasn’t pride that made it stick in his throat, not this time.

“No,” he said, and it came out softly, not defiantly.

Eren’s eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on Jean’s wrists before he abruptly let him go and stood up, stalking away and shaking his head at Armin and Mikasa as they approached him.

Jean’s heart was pounding. He hadn’t taken it back. Cause now he thought about it, it was kind of true.


	144. Jean/Levi Thief AU

Jean is counting. Counting his steps, counting his breaths. Around him the party swirls, and he catches eyes, smiles, admiring glances, the odd glass of champagne which he accepts with a smile and then sets down somewhere moments later.

“Have you seen the host? I’m afraid I must…” he murmurs. Flirting, smiling. They’ll remember he was there. All night. An alibi as solid as marble.

Cloakroom. Apologise to the couple groping each other among the ermine. Collect coat, scarf, suitcase. Is it heavier than before? He doesn’t think about it. Trusts.

He wants to take the stairs; the elevator feels so slow, but he doesn’t. He knows it’s faster. He timed it. Turned out he didn’t have to.

He gets into a taxi at the front door and out again two blocks later, striding along looking at his phone. He doesn’t break stride when the bike purrs up to the curb next to him, slings himself onto the back in one smooth motion, the briefcase sliding into one of the saddlebags. It fit. They checked earlier.

It’s stopped snowing but the night is still frosty and he tucks his scarf up over his nose and hunches down as best he can behind the rider. Hangs on, arms around his waist, wool-cashmere blend pressed to black leather. Has to. Wants to.

They don’t talk until they are safe, or as safe as they can be for now. Levi keeping his helmet on until they’re both inside, clattering up the cast iron staircase to the loft area. Jean watches him stomp up his eyes on his arse.

He slings the suitcase on the table and clicks open the catches, waiting a heartbeat before opening it. He sighs.

“What a pretty sight,” he says.

He’s not actually looking at the quarter-million dollars worth of stolen diamonds; he’s looking at the way they throw light on Levi’s pale face. Levi flicks his eyes up to meet his for a moment before he nods and turns away.

“We’ll leave tomorrow,” he says.

Jean heaves a gusty sigh and runs his fingers through his hairstyle. “What do I need to do?” he mutters.

Levi barks a harsh laugh; Jean has never heard any other kind from him. “Ask, maybe,” he says, clumping back downstairs. “If you’ve got the nuts for it.”

Jean looks at the diamonds, runs his fingers across them for a moment before slamming the suitcase shut again. His nerve will desert him by the time he’s face to face with Levi again, but for the moments he follows him down, he believes that this time he’ll speak.


	145. Erwin/Eren Reincarnation AU

“Penny for your thoughts?”

They’re sitting in the park, just two of many office workers on their lunchbreak. Erwin half expected Eren to say something about the ducks he’d been staring at for five minutes; he still loved the world a lot, even overfed city birds.

Eren shot him a look, almost guilty, his hands tightening on his reusable fair-trade coffee cup. He’d bought Erwin one too, and Erwin always felt bad when he forgot it. Eren thought before he spoke.

“It’s not me you wanted to meet,” he said quietly. “Is it?”

Erwin narrowed his eyes. “A bold assumption. I didn’t want to meet anyone.”

“But you-”

He held up his hand. “Yes, I know.” He didn’t tell Eren he’d spent nearly three weeks back and forthing over Eren’s optimistic advertisement some truly terrifying algorithms delivered to Erwin’s facebook page looking for any former members of the Survey Corps. Eren had told him he’d received messages from quite a few surveyors, some veterans and at least one elderly boy scout. “I don’t want to face anyone. I didn’t exactly treat people well.”

Eren frowned. “You weren’t that bad.”

“Why this all of a sudden? Did someone contact you?”

“No.” He looked uncomfortable. “If we’re right, and people who died first return first, well, for all I know they could still be kids. Or not even born, so.” He was prevaricating. “I just wondered if you were happy. Like this.”

“With you.”

Eren stared at his shoes. Erwin glanced at his smart watch and sighed. “I have to get back to work.”

“Oh right! Yeah, me too.” He got to his feet like he was about to run. Erwin reached out and caught his hand.

“Yes, Eren,” he said, squeezing slightly before releasing it. “Let’s go out tonight.”

Eren ducked his head and nodded and Erwin watched him until he was lost in the crowd.


	146. Levi/Eren Airship AU

The Beast made a mockery of Formality, but Formality refused to me mocked, standing at attention and surreptitiously clinging to its hat and trying to speak at a shout. Notebook pages fluttered, and a radioman holding a mike could only relay white noise to the listeners at home.

Eren clasped gloved hands, his greatcoat battered against his legs, working his way down the line of important well-wishers before he started his historic flight.

He ran out of braid to salute and pretend he could hear and found himself looking into Levi’s amused eyes. He knew what a fraud Formality was.

Eren shook his hand. Levi had the sense to go hatless in the roaring gale of the engines, and his dark hair was tossed wildly about his head. He didn’t try speaking either, merely gazing at Eren with eyes slitted against the wind.

Come with me, Eren thought, but the Beast was full and fat with fuel, and there was no space for joyriders. Maybe next time.

Eren leaned in to speak into Levi’s ear. “Kiss me before I go?” he asked impishly.

“What?” Levi yelled back.

“Kiss me before I go!”

Levi looked at him blankly and shook his head. “What!”

Eren rolled his eyes. So much for Formality. He bent his head again, but this time he wasn’t aiming for Levi’s ear. He pressed his wind-chilled lips against Levi’s mouth for a moment, secure in the knowledge that whatever the radioman was reporting, no one would be able to hear him.


	147. Levi/Eren Canonverse 8

He hadn’t lost anything of himself. Not really. When he sat down and catalogued his life it was all still there, but he’d gained so much extra, so much that wasn’t him, the cannibal monster that he was, that it was all starting to get jumbled, get lost.

His rage was guttering, spluttering like a dying candle, and could no longer light the way back to himself as it once did.

It was worse when he slept. He reeled through dreams and nightmares that were not his own, opened his eyes and had to fight a dozen ghosts for the right to existence, to life yet. He had so much to do and no idea how much time he had to do it.

Who was this patchwork creature, sewn together and steadily falling apart? The sun would rise again, and he would be in chains. He’d look at his hands, and wait for them to become familiar to him again, fragments of dreams still floating around his head.

He’d hear footsteps, and although he was never really alone now he braced to become less so.

He’d wait, dumbly, his head bowed. He always woke tired.

“Eren.”

He heard Levi’s voice, and now his hands were his own. It was a weight of expectation, of hope and memory, that his voice always carried. He had never meant nothing to him. Lately, it was starting to feel like everything.

He looked up, his vision clearing; the memories of this man were his own. All of them.

Eren opened his mouth and answered him.

“I’m here. I’m still here.”


	148. Levi/Eren/Erwin Dragon AU

They had returned as promised, dropping out of a clear blue sky like lightning bolts, the ground shaking from the impact sending every precarious object in the town tumbling, all the dogs barking and all the cats running for cover. They sat on the hill above town, amused and lazy and wise, blowing smoke rings and nodding their great heads at each other as people brought out their gold and climbed the hill and asked what they would of the wyrms.

Eren had nothing to ask, so he climbed empty-handed, dazzled by the sun on scales. One was gold, the other brass. And they had kept the promise to return, earned by nameless heroes long forgotten by the humans, but remembered by the wyrms.

In exchange for gold and gems they settled inheritances, located long-lost springs and wells, and answered questions on history and magic.

Eren crept closer, worming his way past the crowd. He flopped down on the grass and watched.

As the day came to an end, the festival would begin. The day was celebrated every year, even though the wyrms returned only every ten. He remembered the last time they’d arrived, his mother holding him back from running up the hill to them.

She couldn’t stop him now. He’d crept out before dawn. In fact, he’d barely slept at all. He yawned.

“And what do you want?” the voice rumbled.

Eren opened his eyes. It was dark. Shit. The town was ablaze with light, but he barely noticed it, most of his field of vision being taken up by the huge gold head of the dragon, its vast blue eyes focused on him.

“I. Hello.” He scrambled to his feet and bowed. The other dragon was spreading its wings, the draft stirring the grasses. They were about to leave. “I just wanted a look, really.”

The dragon smelled like smoke–not tobacco, and not singed meat or bread either; more like a distant forest fire. It considered his response.

“One kiss then,” the dragon said.

“Uh.” Eren craned his neck, propped himself up on his toes and dutifully pressed his lips to a warm scale on the dragon’s chin. “Thank you for visiting!” The dragon regarded him with wide eyes as he turned and fled.

He hurried back into town, making his way through the long lines of people dancing and singing and waving dragon lanterns about. He should get home first, he decided, ducking down familiar alleyways. Let his family know he was fine and see if he could find his friends-

He nearly ran into the tall blond gentleman in the fancy clothes and as he muttered an apology a pale hand shot out and caught his arm.

“Hey!” Lord or not, Eren didn’t like being grabbed.

“I just wanted a kiss.”

“Go fuck yourself!” Eren tried to get away. “I’ve beaten bigger guys than you.”

“I doubt that.” There was another man in the alley with equally fancy clothes; mother of pearl buttons and velvet trim on his doublet. They they had to be there for the festival, Eren thought. The newcomer prowled closer. “A kiss is a kind of coin,” he said to Eren. To his friend he added. “They don’t use them any more. I got a funny look when I tried to spend one.”

Eren was getting a sinking feeling he knew what was going on so he stopped struggling and at that point he was released. He considered running but his feet were rooted to the spot.

“I see.” The tall man regarded him narrowly, and Eren saw smoke curl out from between his teeth as he smiled. “I suppose the fault was mine, then. Do forgive me.”

“You’ve created a monster,” the other one said to Eren. “He’ll be wanting virgins or something next time.”

The stories are true. They walk as men when they choose, Eren thought, his heart beating wildly.

“I volunteer,” he said.

They looked at him. “How old are you?” the darker one asked.

“Fifteen.”

He snorted, blowing smoke out his nose.

“Show us around,” the tall one said. “This is all in our honour, after all, we should take a look.”

They didn’t ask him for any more kisses. Sometime around midnight, they decided to leave, walking out of town and unfolding themselves into the night. 

“See you in ten years, Eren.” The words hung like smoke in evening air.


	149. Levi/Eren Sci Fi AU

Levi adjusted his position on the rock slightly, his bare toes digging in for extra grip. He could hear the hum of wings drifting closer and then away again. He waited, unmoving, the sunlight gleaming on the metal tip of his spear as it rested across his shoulder. He couldn’t afford to relax, listening, waiting for the moment where the noise would swell, and just for a moment a gleaming carapace would appear through the foliage in front of him.

Closer. No, it was going away. Maybe he should have tried foraging underground again instead. The glow-tubers moved a lot more slowly than the dragonflies.

It wasn’t a dragonfly, but what else was he supposed to call it?

The hum intensified again, and he tensed, waited for just the right moment, and leaped out into empty space, spear first.

He missed the nerve-column, and instead of a dead glide safely down to the ground the dragonfly swerved, folded its wings, and tried to tip him off as Levi dug the point of the spear around widening the crack in its iridescent exoskeleton, his legs wrapped snugly around its body.

It spread its wings again in reflex as he finally hit the nerves and they stopped beating as it began to glide.

He glanced over, instinctively looking for his house, and noted the roof was sporing again. He’d have to cut it back. The dragonfly crashed to the ground, Levi leaping from its back with practiced ease. He dragged home his kill as the first of the stars started to gleam in the greenish sky above.

The carapace would make more armour; his old set was getting a bit cracked and worn, the wings would fill his windows; he was still working on building a greenhouse. And the insides? Well. Soup.

He ended his day like he ended most days; exhausted but reasonably well provided for. Normally he slept right through.

Light falling on his face woke him up, and through the membrane of the dragonfly wing window above his sleeping pallet he saw a great orange light growing brighter and brighter.

He flung on ragged, mosswoven trousers and his armour and grabbed his spear as trees shifted and thrashed and the air grew thick with brown spores. He opened the door a crack and then shut it again while he fitted his respirator over his face.

He headed out into the dark, and the night was completely dark now. The bright glow to the north fading to nothing. Only the glow-tuber on his belt provided light.

He should wait for daylight, he knew, but he couldn’t stop himself, feeling his way through the swirling spores as they settled on his hair and gathered in great clumps on his mossy clothing.

A tower had sprouted from the ground, a great ring of scorched earth around it. Small fires burned still at the edge and the ground was hot under Levi’s feet.

Nevertheless he ran on into clearer air; the spores had been burned or blown away, and then he slowed to a walk as a door in the tower opened, and the wizard who had summoned it poked out a huge, silvery head.

Levi stared up at them.

“I come in peace!” a voice boomed.

Levi shook his head and pulled off his respirator.

“I told you to wait for me,” he shouted up.

Eren released the catches on his helmet–they’d really changed the design–and pulled it off. Levi blinked in shock as shoulder-length hair framed the familiar face. Familiar, but older; who knew how long the years were on this planet.

Eren grinned at him.

“I like the caveman look,” he said. “Very rugged.”

“Get down here,” Levi said, and Eren obeyed, his boots raising puffs of ash as he landed.

“I grew tired of waiting,” he said quietly, as they stared at each other.

“I’m glad you did,” Levi said, taking one small step forward for a man, and one giant leap towards home.


	150. Jean/Eren Western AU

“The earliest they can hang him is tomorrow. So tomorrow it’ll be.”

Jean nodded, not quite game to look at the silent figure in manacles standing before the sheriff’s desk.

“Yessir.”

This was the Rogue then. A man no older than himself, although Jean had seen enough to know age was no predictor of brutality. Not out here here in this godforsaken country.

“Put him in a cell.”

Jean took hold of the man’s arm, mildly surprised to find it was flesh and blood. The way people spoke about him out here he might have been a vengeful spirit, out to pay back all the blood that had been spilled by spilling more.

He didn’t resist. Walked into the cell as docile as a lamb, and then he turned to Jean and stared at him. Jean met his gaze, although it cost him. Those eyes had seen things, and now they were looking right through him. He turned away, clumping over the to bench and sprawling on it, his bloodstained shirt gaping at his throat. There wouldn’t be much anyone would want off his corpse tomorrow except for his boots, Jean thought.

“You want ‘em?” Jean had to remind himself that murdering and mind-reading were two very different things. The prisoner was smirking at him.

“No. I don’t want anything from you.”

“They’re good boots. Fifteen dollars, I paid.”

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

He sighed. “No, I suppose not. You think I deserve to hang tomorrow?”

“You killed those men.”

“You think they didn’t deserve it?”

“The law states-”

“The law serves some better than others.” He shrugged, as if dismissing the conversation and raised his manacled wrists. “You gonna take these off, now I’m nice and safe in here?”

Jean knelt down and unlocked them, a task made more difficult by the fact that the prisoner was leaning forward into his face, and Jean didn’t want to take his eyes off him.

But he had to, to fit the key in the lock.

It clicked open, and although he was braced for something, the prisoner did nothing more than lower his hands.

“Does that feel better?” he asked sarcastically, starting to wonder if everyone was getting all jumpy over nothing. He could see how lax the man’s limbs were; he wasn’t tensed to strike.

“Thank you, Deputy,” he said, warm and amused, and Jean nearly fell on his arse as the prisoner leaned in and kissed his cheek, his stubble scratching against Jean’s skin.

He started laughing like the demon he probably was as Jean scrambled away out of the cell and slammed the door, his cheeks burning.

The prisoner stretched out on the bench.

“Guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” he said. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”


	151. Levi/Eren Tourist AU

The evening was hot and languid, the streets full of tourists, the air full of music and perfume, and the hours ahead full of promise. Armin had his street guide, but they all vetoed using it, offering themselves up to the whims of chance and coincidence for their evening’s entertainment. Eren had spent the day trailing his friends around art galleries he’d been to before; his parents had dragged him through most of Europe’s cultural hotspots before he was old enough to drive.

He was here to have fun.

They bounced from one bar to the next, and ended up having dinner in a little place without any signs in english, and grape vines growing over the trellis separating the eating area from the street.

They went not because of the appetizing aroma drifting out of the kitchen area, although it made Eren’s mouth water, but because of the waitress, a leggy woman with dark hair and eyes that Jean took one look at and declared that this was where they were to eat.

As it turned out, they were lucky to get a table, even one close to the group of old men playing musical instruments too  lackadaisically to be called a band.

Jean spent the rest of the meal trying to work out if the waitress spoke english or not. She gave nothing away, which in and of itself led Eren to believe she understood every word of Jean’s awkward flirting and was saving them both embarrassment by pretending not to. Eren just enjoyed not being surrounded by tourists for once; they were the only ones, as far as he could tell.

Once the musicians had a few more drinks in them, they started to play more enthusiastically, and the establishment filled with cheerful noise. Eren got the impression everyone was waiting for something.

The waitress put down her tray. The crowd quietened, and she took off her apron as well, leaving her in the white shirt and black skirt she wore underneath.

“Levi?” she called, and the door to the kitchen swung open a few moments later, and she was joined by a man a couple inches shorter than she was, with similar colouring. He had his sleeves rolled up, and he had the kind of forearms that suggested he could crack walnuts in his elbows.

“Oh fuck,” Jean muttered. “I bet that’s her brother. I’m doomed.”

“I don’t think you need to worry,” Armin said.

The band struck up a new tune, and the cook and the waitress began to dance. Related or not, the pair worked flawlessly together, and Eren was mesmerized, watching and clapping along in a daze as they draped themselves around each other. Despite the height difference, he carried her without apparent effort, save for the sheen of sweat on his skin.

It was pretty hot in here, Eren thought.

The pair eventually separated, and the waitress returned to work. Levi surveyed the room, his gaze resting on the table of young tourists for a moment. Eren wondered what she’d whispered in his ear about them while they were dancing. Maybe she didn’t need too; Jean’s eyes were still glued to her as she moved around the room.

“Eren. Eren!” Jean was trying to get his attention.

“What?”

“Go ask him to dance.”

“What?”

“It’s Armin’s idea. If we ask together it won’t look as creepy as if I asked her.”

“But it won’t be any less creepy,” Eren pointed out. Why was Armin of all people going along with this? Armin’s expression gave nothing away as he serenely sipped his drink.

“There’s no harm in asking.”

“He looks like he could break me in half with one hand,” Eren said and as soon as the words were out of his mouth he realised it didn’t matter what he said. He had a Type. Said Type was standing just a few meters away and watching him with a vaguely enquiring look.

Jean was chickenshit. Eren was not.

He stood up.

He ignored Jean’s ‘no, we go together, idiot!’ and wondered what language he should speak. He didn’t have to say a word. Levi nodded at him with an approving glint in his eye and extended his hand as the musicians saw they had new dancers and started playing again.

“I don’t know how to- argh!” The room spun, or rather he did, and he grabbed Levi’s arm as he found himself nearly horizontal, the audience applauding and laughing at the look on his face as Levi held him up with one hand in the small of his back.

“Just go with it, you know you’re safe with me,” Levi said, his english accented so nicely Eren wanted to put the words in his own mouth.

Eren could only nod, his eyes wide.

“Follow my lead. If you have no shame, you’ll look good,” he promised.

Jean was glum and Armin was smug when Eren wobbled back to their table, breathless and glowing, the numbers written on the inside of his wrist in a biro borrowed from the waitress burning like a brand.


	152. Levi/Eren Australian AU

Even though it was supposed to be early spring, Levi could see his breath in front of him as he walked along behind the flock, the dogs warmer than he was as they guided the sheep into the pen adjacent to the woolshed. In a few weeks it would be sweltering hot in there, but right now he was looking forward to the warmth.

The shearers had arrived the day before, complaining as always about the draughty bunkhouse Kenny billeted them in, and as always Kenny told them to clear out if they didn’t like it.

“Reckon this’ll be the year, Levi?” Eren asked, grinning at him as he walked in. Eren was only a few years older, but he’d been the ringer here ever since he’d arrived, back when Levi was only allowed in the shed to deliver the tea before going back to his schoolbooks.

Levi shrugged, not game to look him in the eye. He wasn’t good with words, but a man didn’t need to be.

Kenny growled at them and the shearers took their stations, Levi included. He didn’t seem to be getting much taller, but at some point he’d grown much stronger than the sheep, and he thought maybe, just maybe this might be the year.

He bent over the animal, clipping away its fleece with swift, sure strokes. He took pride in not nicking the animals, his fingers growing greasy, sweat dripping down his face as he focused on sheep after sheep, while Kenny sat back and smoked and kept tally of the fleeces on a chalkboard.

It was only when the holding pen outside was nearly empty, that he realised he was being watched.

He glanced up for a moment. Eren was still bent over, focused, but a lot of the others had stopped working, and even Kenny wasn’t bawling them out for it.

“It’ll be close,” his uncle said.

Levi got back to work. He tried to block out everything but the sheep in front of him and the glide of his shears through the wool. When he let the creature go it bounded away into the pen on the other side, finally free of the weight of wool. He looked around in hope.

Eren had already finished. Just. Levi exhaled. So close.

“Looks like those lessons weren’t wasted then,” Eren said, nodding at him approvingly.

“What’ll you do if he beats you?” someone asked him.

“Then I’ll give _him_ lessons,” Levi spoke up, and the group laughed, and someone ruffled his hair, but Eren just raised an eyebrow as he turned away to go and wash his hands. Levi tried not to smile.

They queued up at the wash basin and most of the group drifted outside to stretch their backs and smoke.

“I missed you,” Levi said quickly and quietly, as Eren examined the tally board.

“Levi, fetch the bloody tea!” Kenny called from outside.

Eren glanced away and back before briefly pressing his finger to Levi’s lips. “Later,” he said. “There’s still things I can teach you.”


	153. Levi/Eren Fantasy AU 4

The rift was closing, sparks and steam flying upward, obscuring the crowded and distant sky. The dark djinn’s spectral muscles bulged as it roared and pulled the portal closed, roaring in pain as hellfire wreathed its form.

It had resisted, every step of the way across the demon haunted city Eren had forced it, and even now he felt its dark will pushing back against his own. Eren didn’t expect he’d last much longer. The djinn was weakened so much by the time the portal slammed shut that it didn’t even resist Eren finally releasing it, and it evaporated, leaving only a swiftly cooling shell of dark glass where it had been. 

Shiganshina was not safe, but it could now be saved, Eren thought as he fell to his knees, feeliing the ground beneath him jump as a demon landed nearby to investigate what had happened to the portal. A second one arrived, meteoring down through the djinn’s empty shell in a shower of glass.

He should try and run, he supposed. Maybe lose them in a building. He staggered to his feet and made it three steps before dropping again, his vision growing fuzzy as he stared at his hands splayed on the tarmac.

One of the demons roared, and the roar became a scream, abruptly shut off. Eren lifted his head, blinking as he stared through the filthy air at a pair of glowing wings. Seraphim.

“Mikasa?” Pale skin and dark hair. No.

The wings flung their own shadows across the ground, and Eren’s arms gave out.

He was lifted and turned to face the light. “Look at me, just breathe, okay?”

It was Levi. _The_ Levi, like there could be more than one. He had an arm around Eren’s shoulders, supporting him, his blinding wings rendered the rest of the universe an impenetrable darkness.

“It’s one or the other,” Eren heard himself say. “I can’t do both.” He stared up at him, still not quite believing he was real. Levi had been checking him for injuries but his attention returned to his face.

“Close your eyes then,” he said, with a ghost of a smile.

Eren did so and he felt Levi’s other arm under his knees and he was lifted up. And then further up again as they left the ground and Eren clutched at Levi’s collar, slitting his eyes open again to stare at the burning streets below for a moment, before he was drawn to stare at Levi again.

They’d probably execute him for dark magic, he thought, but somehow those threats seemed as distant as the fighting below. He’d worry about it later. Right now, there was no where else in the universe he’d rather be than borne aloft on glowing wings.


End file.
